Link by Link
by KholdstareV
Summary: There are Links from all different walks of life; the 80's, 90's, 00's... 2D and 3D... 8-bit, 64-bit, 128-bit... What would happen if they all came together against their will?


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Link by Link

**By KholdstareV**

Link was enjoying a mid-afternoon stroll in his peaceful 8-bit world. The pixilated trees and motionless water made him feel at peace. It seemed like a perfect day, but knowing better than to jump to conclusions, he refrained from saying it to himself. He found a blocky pixel that looked like a rock and sat down. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the Octoroks were at peace. Link felt happy to be alive, and to be able to live through such lovely days. Ignoring his past promise, he said out loud, "What a perfect day. Nothing can go wrong..."

A sudden rush of wind broke his thoughts. It sounded like a really strong hurricane gale. However, he didn't feel any wind. Strange... It happened again! Where was this wind coming from? Link looked up and saw the poorly animated clouds moving. They were rapidly shifting to the left, all at once. It almost seemed as though it weren't the clouds that were moving, but the world...

Another rush of air sounded, but this time, Link felt it. It moved in the opposite direction the clouds were flying. Holy mother, the world _was_ moving! The wind began to pick up, and Link saw the clouds moving unspeakably fast. He grabbed hold of a tree to prevent being blown away by the mighty gales. What was happening?! The world itself is flying at 200 mph! And where was it going? Where would it stop?? After a long while of holding onto the tree trunk to resist the crazy winds, Link couldn't hold on anymore...

_BOOOOOOM!!_ A huge shock wave shot across the earth! It was as though it had collided with something! Link was thrown into a cliff wall and was knocked unconscious...

* * *

Only goodness knew how many hours passed before Link's eyes fluttered open. He was dazed, but he still understood what he saw. The sky... it wasn't the beautiful blue Hyrule sky anymore. It was black, with swirling blue and purple clouds. Where had the world flown to? And what had it collided with...? He struggled to sit up and looked around. The world he once knew and loved was now a desolate wasteland full of puddles of icky black fluid and plants that looked like they could spring to life any minute. He was scared. How was he going to get home...?

A rustle startled him. He heard a soft a groan. A groan of pain. He wasn't alone? He carefully walked in the direction of the noise. When he found the source, he was standing in front of a pile of debris. Was someone trapped under there? Link began to grab and remove pieces of rubble from the pile. When he felt he'd almost reached the stranger underneath, he stopped. Maybe it was a monster? This place sure seemed like there would be monsters lurking about, just waiting to fool their prey... How should Link go about revealing the stranger?

In a place like this, the odds of it being someone, or something, good under the pile of rubble was really low. Without any relentlessness or remorse, Link pulled out a bomb and threw it onto the pile of debris.

_KABOOM!!_

Bits and pieces of rock and dirt were scattered about. A thick grey smoke had enveloped. Link swore he heard a cry. A human cry. Uh oh... maybe it wasn't a monster! Worried, he ran over to noise and waited for the smoke to clear.

Link gasped at the sight before him. It was something he had never seen before. It was a man, but he seemed so...bulgy. Link himself was one polygon, no doubt, but this guy looked like he was made of a bunch of polygons stuck together! Incredible! Link then remembered something - he had heard of companies beginning to use this technique to make games in some viewpoint known as "3D". He had no idea what that meant, since he himself was "2D". Apparently, the two dimensions were never together in one place. Could Link be the first 2D character to ever come face to face with a 3D one? Sweet! But...how did it happen?

As the dust of the explosion cleared more, Link began to realize that this 3D dude looked awfully familiar... He wore green... and he had a sword... and engraved on his shield was the name "Link". Hmm... Who could he be...? The stranger's eyes began to flutter open. He sat up, rubbed his head, and stared into Link's eyes. He screamed.

"What the heck?! Where am I? Who are you?"

The man seemed awfully troubled, and Link tried to calm him down. "Listen, sir. I don't know what's happened, but this place is strange to me. I'm guessing it's strange to you, too? Maybe we can help each other out, then."

The 3D man spoke, "But...you look just like me..."

"I know. I don't understand it myself. And it seems we have the same name, too... Link."

"Who ARE you??"

"I'm Link!"

"No way! I'M Link!"

"Maybe we're both Link...?"

"Impossible! I'm 3D, you're 2D. There can't be any connection!"

"...Are you, by chance, acquainted with a girl named Zelda?"

"Zelda? What have you done with her??"

"Nothing! She's still in Hyrule... I think. Unless she came along for that scary-as-hell ride..."

"How do you know about Hyrule?"

"How do YOU?"

"Dammit! This is really starting to freak me out! I'm using my ocarina and getting out of here!"

Link suddenly stopped arguing. This man had a what? An "ocarina"? He was sure he'd heard that word before... "Say, sir... have you starred in a video game?"

"Why, yes. I have..."

"What game?"

"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time."

Link suddenly realized. "Oh my goodness... You're OoT Link!!"

"I'm _what_ Link? I'm the ONLY Link! The only one I know, at least..."

"No, you don't understand... you do know that Legend of Zelda is a video game series, right?"

"I'm aware of that, yes..."

"I'm LoZ Link. The original."

OoT Link's stared in disbelief. A look crossed his face that looked like a teenager who was staring face to face with his favorite movie star. "Oh my god... OH MY GOD! Oh, LoZ Link! It's such an honor to meet you!" OoT Link promptly shook LoZ Link's pixilated hand. "I can't believe this! I'm standing here with the boy that launched my popularity! I'd be nowhere if not for you!"

LoZ Link was flattered. "Thanks. It's an honor to meet the star of the most critically acclaimed game of all time."

With that, the two stood and began to walk to together through the dark wastelands.

* * *

"You know," said LoZ Link, "this place looks a lot like my NES Hyrule, but all twisted and evil... I recognize so many of the landmarks."

OoT Link was confused. "Hey... look over there..." The two looked across the field at a huge castle made of several polygons. "That's Hyrule Castle... from OoT. It seems like all of our landmarks have all been mixed together..." He stopped. "What on earth do you think happened? It's like... our universes were thrown and slammed into each other, and they happened to connect in a dark world of some sort. But how? And why...?"

LoZ Link was thoughtful. This was very strange indeed. Suddenly, something caught his eye. It was a massive 2D rock that had the head of a turtle, the feet of a turtle sticking out of all four sides, and a strange medallion symbol on top of the head. What was it?

"Was it in your game?" asked OoT Link.

"Naw. Graphically, it looks too good." He replied. "Was it in yours?"

"No. It's 2D, doofus," said OoT Link.

"Heh, right. Well, that means we're not alone..."

"Look, there are footprints in the dirt!"

"Should we follow them?"

"I think we should check out the rock..."

"I think we should follow the footprints," said LoZ Link. "They appear fresh, so whoever made them can probably tell us about it."

"Good point. Let's follow 'em."

The two followed the footprints across the wasteland. Something was strange about them, though. They seemed to be pretty far apart, and there were several 2D weapons dropped along side them. Had the person been running away from something? From what? Were they still alive? The thought sent shivers up their spines.

They finally came to a large rock where the footprints seemed the freshest. They decided to split up and circle around the rock on different sides. LoZ Link went around left, and OoT Link went around right. As the two met, they found another who looked very similar to them, and he sure looked scared.

The stranger looked at LoZ Link and screamed. LoZ Link screamed back. He then saw OoT Link round the bend and screamed. OoT Link screamed in response. LoZ Link screamed at OoT Link. All three were wailing at the tops of their lungs.

"Who are you guys??" The red-headed child said.

"I'm LoZ Link," said LoZ Link, "and this is OoT Link."

"LoZ Link? OoT Link? What are you talking about? I thought I was the only Link..."

"Nope. There's a different Link for every game in the Zelda series."

"Are you... telling me that you guys are Links from different Zelda games?"

"Yeah," said OoT Link, "I'm from Ocarina of Time, and he's from The Legend of Zelda, the original. Speaking of which, what Zelda game are you from?"

"Link to the Past. But I guess you can call me LttP Link. It's so cool to meet others from the same series, but... what are you guys doing here?"

"We don't know. All the Zelda universes collided and the product ended up in a dark world of some sort?"

"Hmm... weird."

"Indeed. But as long we're all in the same place, we may as well solve this mystery together."

"Cool! All the Links together on an epic adventure! Sounds good to me!"

"But, there's only the three of us..." said OoT Link. "Yo, LoZ Link, how many Link's should there be here?"

"Umm... 12, if I'm not mistaken."

"Dang, we got some hunting to do... do you know where any of them are, LttP Link?"

LttP Link suddenly became nervous. "I think so..."

"What do you mean 'you think so'?" said an equally worried LoZ Link. "And why are you sweating?"

LttP Link wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Well, I did see someone... and then something came and... and he was like... and then it was all... and..." He seemed too startled to speak.

"You saw someone?" asked OoT Link. "And something happened to him? Try to be more specific. Did this guy wear green?"

"I... I think so..."

"Was he 3D or 2D?"

"I think he was... 2D...no, 3D... no, 7D... augh!"

"What was this thing that... did something to him?"

"It was really scary. It flew, and it had teeth, and... it tried to kill me..."

"Did it kill the other guy?" asked LoZ Link.

"I...don't know... he might be alive, but..."

A sudden shriek halted the conversation. A massive shadow flew over the ground, covering the trio in blackness. They looked up and saw a huge red bird-like creature flying overhead.

"Oh no! It's back!!" screamed LttP Link.

"Dude, it's huge!!" exclaimed OoT Link.

As the creature descended upon them, OoT Link got a look of astonishment on his face. "Listen... can you hear a voice...?"

The three listened, and indeed, they heard someone screaming. It was coming from the monster's stomach!

"Oh my god! The monster ATE the other guy? And he's still alive in there??"

"Yeah... seems that way..." stammered LttP Link.

"Let's help that guy out!" cried LoZ Link.

The flying red bird creature was descending fast. If the three of them hoped to save the helpless Link in his stomach, they needed to work together. "Guys, I've got a plan!" shouted LoZ Link. "Let's huddle!" They only could huddle for a matter of seconds before they needed to jump out of the way of the monster's talon. It was positively enormous up close, but they hoped their plan would work.

LoZ Link and OoT Link provided a distraction while LttP Link climbed up the boulder with a Super Bomb in hand. The two other Links were throwing rocks at the monster's head, which it either ate or caught and threw back. It seemed effective as a distraction. LttP Link reached the top of the boulder and picked up the Super Bomb. He aimed at the creatures back, right between the wings, and hurled it.

_KABLAAAAAMM!!_

The monster's wings were evaporated in the blast, and it fell with a massive thud onto the dirt. It got up onto its legs and retained it's mobility on the ground. It was now LoZ Link's turn. He pulled out a Sliver Arrow and aimed at the creature's head. It was difficult, because it seemed to be more agile on ground than in the air. It would run up and make vicious swipes with its talons. At last, when he was a fair distance, he let the arrow fly. It sank into the monster's forehead. A blast of silver light accompanied the screech of pain. The monster fell over, motionless... dead.

OoT Link crawled into its toothy mouth and worked his way through the throat and into the stomach. There, he found a plump, little 2D fellow, who had used clawed mitts to hang onto the ceiling and prevent himself from being digested. OoT Link called up to him. "It's OK, the monster's dead. You can escape now!"

The boy dropped down onto the stomach floor and walked up to him. "Oh, thank you! Did you kill it?"

"Well, my friends did. I just came in to get you out."

"I dunno, I think the throat is a one way route."

"That's OK, I know another way..."

* * *

LttP Link and LoZ Link waited patiently for OoT Link and the new guy to emerge from the mouth. However, they were in for a shocking surprise when they saw a sword rip through the beasts belly and slit downward. The pair wormed out. OoT Link first, then the little dude.

"Hi," said LoZ Link to the newcomer, "I'm LoZ Link. These are LttP and OoT Link. I'll try to keep this brief - all the Zelda universes have been slammed together and the combined product is trapped in a dark world. We don't know why, but we're working on it. We're assuming all the Links from the Zelda series are in this place somewhere, and we're trying to find them all. Any questions?"

The new guy simply shook his head.

"So," said LttP Link, "what Zelda game are YOU from?"

The guy hesitated. "Minish Cap."

"Is that the one with the talking cap?" wondered OoT Link.

MC Link's hat suddenly stirred and sat up, revealing a beak. "I got stomach acid on me! My fibers r' burnin'!"

"Shut up you piece of crap!! Do you ever stop complaining!? God!!"

"So, you wanna join us in our search for the missing Links?" asked OoT Link.

"Sure," said MC Link.

"Certainly!" said Ezlo. "Now can someone explain what that thing is that ATE US??"

No one knew. "It's obviously a monster from some Zelda game," observed LoZ Link. "It's 2D... and it looks 8-bit if you ask me..."

"Oh well, no use wondering," said LttP Link. "I say we search for more Links in those woods."

"Hmm...I think we should check that ink-colored ocean..." said OoT Link.

LoZ Link and MC Link shrugged. Where should they go?

The Links all look at each other, then at the woods. The trees sure didn't look natural, and it was really dark in there. They looked at the black, inky ocean, and saw a boat floating at the shore.

"Oh wow, it's a 3D motorboat!" exclaimed LoZ Link.

"Err..." said Ezlo, "I'm not willing to believe that all of us can fit on that tiny plank."

"We can always throw someone overboard..." threatened MC Link, looking up at Ezlo.

"Don't worry; I'm sure it can hold all of us. Let's go search the ocean."

One after another, they hopped onto the boat. LoZ Link pushed it off the shore and they were off. LttP Link examined the icky black fluid. He dipped his finger in it and pulled it out. It was sticky and stretchy. "Eesh, it's a wonder this boat is able to move through this crap..." he observed.

The four drifted further and further out into the infinite blackness. For a half hour, they drifted, wondering when they might come across some type of life form. However, they found nothing but a few seabirds that tried to eat them. They soon decided maybe they should head back. LoZ Link tried to lead the boat back to shore, but the current was too strong. "Guys, the current's not letting me turn back! Help me out here!"

All four Links used their swords as paddles while LoZ Link fired up the motor, but they weren't able to fight the current. It continued to suck the boat further toward sea. Worried, they wondered how they would ever survive...

* * *

WW Link awoke in a daze. The last thing he remembered was sailing back to Outset to see his family again, but a strong wind had pulled him out of his sailboat and he now found himself on a small rock floating in a sea of dark water. He was scared out of his wits. What had happened? Was anybody else there? How would he manage to live on this little island? He searched around and found nothing he could use to escape. He huddled in a small rock alcove and tried to fight the cold.

After a while of sitting, something caught Link's eye. Something had drifted toward shore. He peaked over and saw... a raft! It seemed awfully outdated. It was 2D, and seemed 8-bit. Oh well, it would have to do. He took out his sail, hoisted it up on the raft, and began to cruise.

After about a half-hour of sailing, he thought he saw something in the horizon. Itching for a better look, he whipped out his telescope and looked... he saw the silhouette of another boat! And there seemed to be four people in it! Overjoyed, he yelled out "AHOY!!"

A sudden rumble and a shake made him stop. A wave traveled beneath his boat. The ocean had been so calm...what made the wave? A strange gurgling noise sounded. Something was definitely watching him. He looked around nervously, but saw nothing. He looked in the direction of the other boat. They apparently had acknowledged his presence, and were sailing towards him. "Thank you," he thought, "I'm saved..."

_SPLAAASH!!_ A gigantic, inky tentacle suddenly burst from beneath the scum! It actually seemed to be made out of the water! Like the water was alive! It swiped at WW Link and attempted to coil him up. WW Link was able to duck. He pulled up the sail and sped toward the other boat.

As he got closer to the other guys, the mutant water got more aggressive. It would swipe and swing it's jelly arms all over the place trying to snatch him up. When the two boats finally met, the fellows on the other boat were motioning him to get on theirs. However, WW Link knew that if he had any hope of getting onto the other boat, he needed to beat this monster first. A thick purple fog had enveloped the ocean, so he wasn't quite able to see the strangers on the other boat. However, he was able to make out their relative location, and they were close enough to hear each other.

"AHOY!!" cried WW Link again. Four slimy tentacles of water had risen on all sides of him and lashed out, all wrapping around him and pulling in different directions. He screamed and screamed, hoping the others would do something to save him...

* * *

"Dude! There's someone else out there!" said a surprised OoT Link. "Look, right over there!"

All three Links turned their heads in the direction OoT Link was pointing. "Oh my god! You're right!" exclaimed LoZ Link. "Think it's another Link?"

"Most likely." said LttP Link. "I don't know any monsters that know how use sailboats..."

"I do!" blurted Ezlo. MC Link just rolled his eyes.

They all listened for any signs of life from the boat in the distance...

_"AHOY!!"_

"Yes! Someone's alive over there! Let's get a closer look!" said OoT Link. They revved up the motor slightly towards the small boat.

Suddenly, LttP Link jumped up in surprise. "Oh no! I think he's in trouble!" They all looked, and saw huge inky tentacles bursting up out of the water and lashing at the boy on the boat.

"Dude, let's get over there and help!" said LoZ Link. He fired the motor up and flew at full speed towards him.

"Whoa... I think I've seen something like this before..." thought OoT Link. "I got it! It looks just like Morpha!"

"Who?"

"Morpha, boss of the Water Temple! He looks exactly the same, except he wasn't all black and goopy..."

"So how did you beat him?!"

"I had to use my Hookshot to pull out his nucleus and slash it. We just gotta find the nucleus and..."

They looked at the dark Morpha. How the hell would they find the nucleus in it?! They had to think fast, since the poor kid was wrapped up and being pulled in all directions, on the verge of being torn apart.

"I have to try!" shouted OoT Link. He pulled out his Hookshot and shot at one of the beast's tentacles. It went through and retracted back. Nothing. This only aggravated the beast, for nothing prepared them for what happened next...

A whole armada of tentacles began to rise out of the murky liquid. At least twenty rose up, surrounding the little motorboat in shadow. The other Link wasn't doing so hot either. He was being slammed onto the deck of his boat over and over by five tentacles. The armada of slimy arms suddenly lashed. All four Links were caught in the clutches of two or more tentacles. OoT Link made several desperate shots with his Hookshot, but all turned up empty. All watched in horror as LttP Link was lifted up and sucked under the horrid black sea. There was no hope...

Suddenly, MC Link took something out of his bag. It appeared to be a simple jar. However, he held it up, and a mighty hurricane wind begin to suck at the monster like a vacuum! He aimed at each and every tentacle, until one finally revealed a prize... _FWOCK!_ A huge multi-colored organic ball stuck in his jar. "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"It's the nucleus!" cried OoT Link. Dodging several angry tentacle swipes, he approached MC Link, yanked out his Master Sword, and stabbed through the pulsating nucleus. The monster screamed and squirmed, and vanished in a cloud of purple bubbles. A wave of relief swept over everyone. The boy on the raft was saved!

* * *

LttP Link at last burst his head out of the water, and swam toward the raft. WW Link helped him climb aboard. "Ahoy there..." he said as he did. "Thanks for saving me."

"No problem," said LttP Link in a friendly tone, "It's what we do! Come on and get on our boat. It'll get us outta here a lot faster. Oh, and before you ask, we don't know exactly what's going on here ourselves, but we'll fill you in on our clues when you get on our boat."

"Ok," said WW Link, "but how will we get to your boat? Some current's pushing the boats apart..."

Indeed, the ocean's odd movement was causing the boats to drift ever further apart. How could they go about reaching the motorboat?

WW Link examined the sticky black ocean. "There ain't no way I'm swimming in that crap."

"I know what you mean. I was pulled under that stuff. It was something no man should ever have to experience," said LttP Link.

"So, will our Hookshots attach to the motorboat?"

"Naw. Made mostly of metal and tough oak. The hooks wouldn't stick."

"How about I throw them my Grappling Hook, and have them pull us in?"

"That would be a little hard, don't you think?"

"What other choice do we have?"

LttP Link thought a bit, then shrugged his head. "Alright, let's do it."

WW Link took out his Grappling Hook. He tied one end to the hoisted sail, and held the other end. "AHOY!!" he called out to the fellows on the motorboat.

_"HEY!!"_ they screamed back.

"Were gonna throw a rope to you! Catch it and hook it onto something!!"

_"OK!!"_

WW Link spun the hook around and around, and released it. If flew over the inky sludge towards the motorboat. In the purple mist and fog, he could make out the motion of someone reaching out and catching it.

_"GOT IT!!"_ They replied proudly.

"Great!! Hook it onto the side of the boat!"

He watched through the fog. He saw the silhouettes busily fastening the hook onto the railing of the boat and pulling on the rope to test its sturdiness.

_"IT'S HOOKED!!",_ they exclaimed.

"Yes!! OK, try pulling on the rope to pull the raft towards you!!"

The four guys on the boat all lined up and tugged with all their strength. The distance between the boats became no shorter. _"THE CURRENT'S TOO STRONG!!"_

WW Link and LttP Link were worried. How would they reach each other? After a bit of thinking, WW Link jumped up and cried out, "It's OK, we'll just tightrope across!!"

A look of surprise crossed LttP Link's face. "Are you crazy?? That's insane! We'll fall in for sure!"

"C'mon, we're out of options. Besides, we'll be fine."

"Ya know, for someone with such a big head, you ain't too bright."

"Less talk, more rock, red-head. You first."

WW Link grabbed LttP Link and threw him onto the rope. He grabbed on with both arms and legs and held onto it. He slowly flipped upside down, hanging on the rope like a sloth, his head inches above the churning black sea. LttP Link gave WW Link an annoyed look, and proceeded to work his way across the 30+ feet of rope using only his legs and arms.

WW Link jumped on the rope not too long after. "Hey, stop shaking!" yelled LttP Link, his arms quivering.

"Sorry!" cried back WW Link, who preferred to cross the rope on his feet like an expert tightrope walker. Within seconds, he had caught up with LttP Link and was pestering him to move faster. "C'mon, just cuz you're hanging like a sloth doesn't mean ya gotta move as slow as one!"

"Hey, it's hard! I'll move as fast as I need to!" said LttP Link, who's whole body was shaking.

WW Link jumped up and down on the rope, causing it to bounce. "C'mon, I wanna pass you!"

"Shaking the rope won't make me move faster, Bobblehead Boy! Just be patient! We're already about 2/3 of the way there!"

_"HEY, what's holdin' you guys up!?"_ someone called from the motorboat.

"See? Even they're losing their patience! Just use all your energy and scurry your way across!"

"I can't!"

"Yes you can, dammit!!"

At that moment, WW Link inexplicitly jumped. It shook the rope badly. LttP Link hands slipped off the rope. He was hanging on only by his ankles, the black ocean drenching his cap and hair. "HELP!!" he screamed. A moment later, his feet slipped off the rope. He plunged headfirst into the thick, inky sea. "HELP ME!! I can't swim back!!"

WW Link suddenly became panicked. LttP Link was being pulled away by the current fast! But how could he save him? He was clearly too far to reach by hand, and was drifting further by the second! WW Link had no choice. He took out his sword and held up the rope. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and sliced it in two.

_SPLUNK!_ Man, the stuff was thick! It was nearly impossible to kick his feet, let alone use his arms. Despite all odds, he swam towards LttP, rope in one hand. The other he used to reach out to his companion. "Grab my hand!!" yelled WW Link.

"I'm trying!"

The stuff was so thick that all their effort to move through it cost them all their energy quickly. The more they tired to swim towards each other, the more tired they got. It was like they were swimming through syrup, only they couldn't see the bottom. It was very frightening. Nonetheless, WW Link tirelessly reached out his free hand. LttP Link reached back. Despite the churning current and density of the sea, a miracle was taking place. They were actually moving towards each other. "You can do it! Keep reaching! I'm not gonna let you die!!"

"Just a little further...!"

The three guys on the boat were hooting and hollering and cheering. It was a tense moment. Their fingertips were just inches apart...

Suddenly, LttP Link gasped. His energy was all but gone. Tears welled up in his eyes as he promptly dropped his hand and let the current take him.

"No! Don't give up on me now!!" WW Link screamed.

"I... I can't do it..."

WW Link reached into his pocket, and yanked his Wind Waker. "Grab it!!"

A faint smile crossed LttP Link face. A look of hope. He opened his hand, and with his very last ounce of energy, brought it down on the opposite end of the wand. They had done it. They'd reached each other.

"PULL US IN!!" They shouted in unison.

Without the weight of the raft, the threesome was able to pull the duo in easily. As they were pulled through the churning, seemingly angry black sea, LttP Link held onto WW Link's shirt. They looked at each other, a look of happiness and apology on both faces.

When they were finally safe on the deck of the motorboat, they both apologized. "Sorry I was such a jerk." said WW Link.

"It's cool. I wasn't Mr. Nice Guy myself."

"Well, I'm glad you were able to work things out," said OoT Link. "So, what Zelda game are you from, kid?"

"The Wind Waker. And let me guess, you're from LoZ, you're from OoT, MC, and LttP."

"Well, someone's been brushing up on their Zelda history," said LoZ Link.

"Yup. I like to be familiar with my kin," laughed WW Link. "But why are all of us here in this dark world?"

"We don't know," said MC Link.

"We don't know," repeated Ezlo.

"And I don't know why I haven't bought another cap..." scoffed MC Link.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ezlo.

"Nothing..." MC Link responded, exasperated.

"We're still trying to solve this mystery. But first, we have to find all the other Links." said LoZ Link

"But FIRST, we have to find a way back to shore!" OoT Link pointed out.

"Oh, leave it to me!" said WW Link.

They watched as WW Link hoisted up his sail, started the motor, and played a song with his wand that made the wind blow in the direction of the shore. They began to move.

"Oh yes! YES!! When we get back to shore, I'm gonna kiss the sand!" exclaimed Ezlo.

MC Link snarled. "Why don't you just kiss my a-"

"Look, something's coming at us, and fast!" shouted LttP Link.

Indeed, through the fog, they could make out a blue animal leaping through the waves towards them. It was swimming very fast, and they wouldn't be able to outsail it. What should they do??

"I think we should all shoot it!" said OoT Link.

"No..." said WW Link. "Let's at least let it come closer so we can see what it is..."

"You crazy?! In this fog, it'll be five feet from us before we can see it! By then, it'll be too late to shoot it if it's something bad!" observed LoZ Link.

"SHOOT IT!!" shouted Ezlo, motioning towards the leaping blue creature.

"SHOOT IT!!" shouted MC Link, pointing at his cap.

"C'mon guys," WW Link defensively stated. "Always trust the instinct of a 128-bit guy!"

"He's got a point," said LttP Link.

"OK, but I got my bow ready." said OoT Link, clearly nervous.

All five watched the blue figure leaping in and out of the waves. Wait... someone was on it's back! So, the thing mustn't be evil after all! But who was the dude riding it? WW Link looked through his telescope. "It looks like another Link!!"

"What does he look like?" asked LoZ Link.

"Err...he looks 2D, maybe from the GB era..."

"What about the thing he's riding?"

"Err... it looks 3D, but can't really tell what it is..."

"Let me see! Let me see!" shouted Ezlo. "Kid, get the telescope and hold it up so can look through!"

A look of genuine annoyance on his face, MC Link accepted the telescope from WW Link and held it up. Ezlo looked through. "Wow, they're so far away! HELLLOOOO!! Hey, they've stopped swimming! And they're looking right at me! HELLLLLLOOOOOOOO!! Can you hear me!?"

"Yeah," the two guys said together in a normal volume. "We can hear you."

MC Link lowered the telescope, and Ezlo found the pair directly in front of him. He'd been looking through the wrong end. MC Link laughed at his little prank, and so did everyone else.

"Wow! That is funny!" chuckled an oblivious Ezlo. "They magically warped right in front of us! WAHAHAHA!!"

Everyone immediately stopped laughing.

"C'mon onto our boat, guys. There's more than enough room." welcomed LttP Link.

The pair did a majestic dolphin leap onto the deck. They consisted of a small, black and white 2D Link, and a tall fish man. OoT Link gasped. "Dude, are you... a Zora??"

"Well, not technically..." said the Zora. Everyone watched as he slowly grabbed the edges of his face and pulled it off. A flash of light burst forth, and soon, everyone found themselves looking at a small version of OoT Link, with a Zora Mask in hand. "Hey!" said OoT Link. "You're me!"

"Me too!" said the young boy.

"And who are you two?" asked MC Link.

"I'm from Link's Awakening," said the little grey dude.

"And I'm from Majora's Mask."

"We'll call you LA Link and MM Link," said LoZ Link.

"So, how'd you find us?" asked LttP Link.

"Well," said MM Link, "I found myself on a small island in this place, and I saw LA Link here not too far away, unconscious in the sea. I put on my Zora Mask and saved him. The two of us swam around a while, and we later found you guys."

"Yeah," said LA Link, "we saw 'redhead' and 'Bobblehead boy' here dukin' it out." They both laughed.

"So, do YOU guys have any idea what's happening here?"

"Well, upon meeting each other, we knew there had to be more Links here," said MM Link.

"And all the Zelda worlds have been smooshed together or something," reasoned LA Link.

"Do you know where we might find more?"

"No clue. Sorry..."

"Well, there's still that forest back on the shore. Let's head there next," said WW Link, preparing to head back. However, as they began to sail, they realized the black sludge was slowly seeping through the bottom of the boat.

"What's going on?" they all asked.

"Uh-oh..." said WW Link, "I think we're sinking!"

"We gotta get rid of some weight!"

"But what can we throw out??"

"Oh no," groaned LttP Link. "There's no way I'm swimming in that stuff again..."

"We each have to toss something!" said OoT Link, wiping the black gunk off his boots. "Toss the heaviest thing you have along with anything else you don't need!" He unequipped his Megaton Hammer and Biggoron Sword. With a sad expression, he tossed them into the horrid ocean.

"We still need to get rid of a bit more weight," said WW Link. He withdrew his Skull Hammer and threw it off the boat. "Never liked that weapon anyway. Too slow," he laughed.

MM Link stood up. "Good-bye, you stupid C-button sword." He took out his Great Fairy Sword and chucked it into the churning sea.

"Just a few more pounds..." said LttP Link, tossing his Mirror Shield.

"Get rid of something Link!" Ezlo yelled. "We're sinking! HURRY UP!!"

MC Link began to withdraw bombs, one by one hurling them into the ocean. The level of inky water on the boat's bottom began to decrease. MC Link continued to throw off all his bombs, and soon, when he only had 13 bombs left, the boat no longer showed any signs of sinking.

"YAY!" exclaimed LA Link. "We're gonna live, and we didn't lose anything too valuable!"

"Shut up!" said OoT Link, "you didn't even get rid of anything!"

LA Link went silent.

"Hey," LoZ Link argued, "don't get mad at him!"

"I wouldn't be talkin'! YOU didn't have to toss anything either!" OoT Link appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"Was it the hammer?" asked LttP Link, "cause those hammers ain't good for much..."

"No, it was my sword! My Biggoron Sword! It took so long to get, and it was such a great weapon, and... I wish I hadn't..."

"You got that sword to save lives," said WW Link, "and it saved us all..."

OoT Link looked at him sternly, but with a look of reassurance. However, he still turned his head away and stared into the blackness.

"Don't sweat it," said MM Link, "those big swords make crappy shield substitutes."

A sudden cry from Ezlo made everyone jump. "Link, toss some more stuff!"

MC Link grimaced. "But why?! We aren't sinking anymore, in case you haven't noticed!"

"Still, we might start to sink again later! Throw some more stuff in case we do!"

"Ezlo, you are so slow it would take you 2 hours to watch '60 Minutes'. Do you really expect me to trust YOUR judgment??"

LA Link was worried things would get out of hand. "Guys, c'mon, we're safe now, just don't fight anym-"

"I DON'T CARE IF WE'RE SAFE! WE CAN'T GUARANTEE WE'LL BE SAFE FOREVER!!" shouted Ezlo. "Toss some more stuff Link!!"

"God dammit, just SHUT UP!!" screamed MC Link. He squeezed Ezlo's neck, flipped him off of his head, and hurled him hard into the ocean. "There, I tossed something! Ya happy, you goddamn piece of s-?!"

MM Link and LttP Link grabbed his mouth and pulled him back, trying to console him. The others looked into the ocean. They didn't see Ezlo resurface.

"C'mon guys, let's get back to shore." said LoZ Link, revving up the motor. As the seven Links set sail, they looked back, seeing no sign of Ezlo until the spot where he had been thrown in was out of sight.

* * *

When they finally made it back onto shore, no one spoke a word. All they could do was look at one another for a second and turn away. As they approached the entrance to the woods, they searched and listened. They saw a slight rustling in one direction, and thought they heard two people speaking softly in the other. Where should they go first?

The Links all were curious about what was in both directions. After a bit of debating, they decided to head left, towards the voices. They seemed far away, and they couldn't make out any of the conversation, but they were clearly human, and they could tell where the voices were coming from.

The interior of the forest was eerily beautiful. The trees were pitch black, littered with blue-purple leaves that flooded the soft earth. They grew under the graces of the purple sky that only showed through varied cracks between treetops. The towering trees seemed so tall as to try and intimidate them.

LA Link noticed MC Link falling behind a bit. He was constantly feeling the top of his head, which was now just a mop of yellow hair. LA Link slowed down a bit and began to walk along side him. "...Is everything OK?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," he said, in a tone that clearly showed he meant the opposite.

"...You regret what you did to him, don't you?"

"Who?!"

"Ezlo..."

"I don't know an Ezlo!" He turned his head away slightly. Had he just wiped away a tear?

"You didn't have to do what you did..."

"I know! I understand! ...at least now I do..."

"MC Link...?"

"Just let me walk alone. It'll be the first time in a while..."

Without another word, LA Link sped up and caught up with the group, checking back and seeing MC Link bury his face in his hands.

"I think he's really upset," LA Link told MM Link.

"Give him some time. He'll get over it..."

They both looked back to see a tear roll down MC Link's slumped head.

"...hopefully." finished MM Link.

* * *

"I think we're getting close!" OoT Link said.

"Yeah," said LoZ Link, "if I'm not mistaken, they should be just behind this tree trunk..."

The seven companions all began to circle around the tree trunk. On the other side, they found a rather large clearing, and in the middle of it, two colored 2D Links, both clearly worried. The group listened to the conversation.

_"Think we lost it?"_

_"I don't know. I don't hear it..."_

_"Those chants were really freaky..."_

"They seem really scared out about something," said WW Link. "One of us had better go out there and introduce ourselves."

"They'd probably mistake us for a monster and slaughter us." said LttP Link.

"We'll go," volunteered MM and LA Link. Without a second though, the two cautiously approached the two frightened travelers. "Hello."

They both whipped around. "OH MY GOD! MONSTERZ!!" They lashed out their swords and began to attack, but MM and LA Link were able to defend themselves.

"C'mon guys!" ordered OoT Link, "let's go help them out!" They all ran in and wrestled the two newcomers to the ground. "Please don't kill us!" they wailed. "I don't taste good!!"

"We don't want to eat you. Listen we'll explain everything..."

They explained all that had happened as best they could.

"Hmm... that explains a lot..."

"So you guys are from...?"

"I'm from Oracle of Ages."

"And I'm from Oracle of Seasons."

"Welcome to the club, OoA and OoS Link," proclaimed LoZ Link.

"So, what were you guys doing out here?" asked LttP Link

"We were running away from... a monster."

"A...monster?" asked WW Link.

"Yeah, it had a huge sword, and it made a lot of weird noises..."

A look of wonder crossed MM Link's face.

"It grabbed somebody and pulled them into his temple!"

"Another Link..." said LA Link.

"Maybe. But then it tried to kill us..."

"Where did it go?"

"We lost it in that direction. We don't know where it is now..."

"C'mon, let's go find it!"

"WHAT!!" they asked in unison.

"If it's another Link, we have to!"

"No way, we're running _away_ from it!"

"Well, we all have to stick together, so we either all run or all fight."

OoT Link spoke his mind. "I think we should go find this monster."

OoA Link's eyebrows shot up. "You crazy!? You have no idea how insane that thing was! It had this huge sword and sliced the other guy to pieces! He was screaming when he grabbed him and pulled him into that scary temple! Next thing you know, he's after us! There's no way I want to ever see that thing again!"

"Besides," said OoS Link, "that guy was gigantic, and had the best sword skills I've ever seen. I think the odds are against us."

"There's nine of us and one of him," said LttP Link, "try again."

"And OoA Link," began WW Link, "if this thing slashed up the other guy, how could he have been screaming while being dragged to the temple?"

OoA Link stammered, "Uh... I, um..."

"Who cares?" said OoS Link, "We're not confronting that thing again."

MM Link remained suspiciously silent during the conversation.

"Well, we're going," said LoZ Link.

"Yeah," said LA Link, "so if you want to stay here by yourselves and just wait for it to come back, be our guest."

OoA Link and OoS Link looked at one another, and sighed. "OK, we'll go."

"Cool, let's head on out!" exclaimed LoZ Link.

OoS Link turned to OoA Link. "Dammit, why'd they have to pull that Scooby-Doo crap on us?!"

As the nine companions traveled through the dense forest in the direction of the "temple", OoA Link noticed the rather big-headed 2D Link separated from the group. He seemed to have a look of pure grief on his face. He turned to WW Link. "Yo, what's with him?"

"Err... he lost someone."

"You mean, like a loved one? A family member?"

"Not quite..."

"A friend?"

WW Link hesitated. "Yeah, a friend. A friend he never knew he had until he lost him..."

* * *

FS Link awoke in a cold, dank room. The frigid stone made the chains around his wrists and neck seem warm. Was he in a prison? There was only one window, but the light through it was so poor that it may as well have not been there. Great. His day had started out fine, walking to Zelda's castle. But then that wind came... and he suddenly found himself in a dark world with no clue how he got there. Then some freakish 3D jungle d00d captures him and puts him in a temple prison!? Not his worst day ever, but dude, it still sucked. The sheer mysteriousness of the situation scared him.

Suddenly, he heard a deep breathing. Heavy footsteps echoed behind the cell door. Was it the monster...? The door burst open, revealing the massive, hideous masked jungle warrior. His gigantic muscles pulsated with each step. Oh no... what was he going to do? The warrior took out a massive axe that probably weighed about as much as the warrior himself. He gave a deep chant that sounded threatening, and held the axe up over his head. OH NOEZ! FS Link reached behind and found the chains only allowed him to reach his Boomerang. What should he do!? That axe was about to slam down fast!

Not wanting to take any chances with withdrawing the Boomerang, FS Link got ready to leap sideways. The hideous warrior held the axe high over his head, gave a loud, frightening chant, and slammed the axe down.

During that split second, FS Link leapt sideways. _CHINK!_ He looked behind him and saw the chain around his left hand had been broken! Sweet! However, there were still chains around his right hand and neck. The angered warrior brought his axe over his right shoulder, and swung it as hard as he could horizontally. Using Roc's Cape, FS Link leapt up over it, feeling the chain around his right hand go limp. Yes, only the chain around his neck!

The warrior was now enraged, screaming frightening chants at the top of his lungs. He yanked out a massive sword and without hesitation, pointed it at FS Link and stabbed.

The sword was shoved through the stone wall with such force that rocks and debris were blasted every which way. As the smoke cleared, the warrior stared in disbelief. FS Link stood with his hip out to one side, barely out of the way of the sword! FS Link then knelt down, took hold of the chain, stretched it out, and brought it down hard onto the top of the blade. _SNAP!_ He was now free.

The warrior, now more pissed off than ever, withdrew his axe, yanked the sword out of the wall, and began to spin them both around like a tornado. FS Link was able to dodge the fury and slip out of the cell. He ran down the dark halls of the temple, hopelessly lost, with no idea where the exit was. Turn after turn he took, only greeted by more dark stone hallways. And everywhere he ran, he heard the crazed chants of the monstrous warrior echoing through off walls. He feared that at any moment he would turn a wrong corner and come face to face with it again. He was horribly frustrated and scared. How was he going to get out alive?

After what must have been the twentieth wrong turn, he found himself at a dead end. Oh no, no no... the chants suddenly became more and more excited, as though the monster knew he was trapped. The echoes began to get louder and louder... and in this narrow hallway, his chances of escape were minimal...

Suddenly, he heard something. Voices? Footsteps? It was hard to tell with the increasingly growing sound of angry chants, but he couldn't deny that he heard something on the other side of the wall he was pressed against. Was someone beyond there? Had they come to help? Was it another monster? He wondered if it was worth it to call to the stranger, or strangers, on the other side of the wall than to face the fury of the warrior himself. The shadow of the demented jungle dweller was beginning to creep along the wall ahead!

FS Link pressed his ear against the wall. Indeed, he heard scurrying footsteps and whispering. He noticed a small crack in the wall, which he ran over to and peaked into. He saw green. Lots of green. Someone was over there! He called out, "Who's there??"

The scurrying suddenly became excited. Another eye met his through the crack. "Hey, are you a Link?"

"Um... yeah."

"Which Zelda game are you from?"

"Uh... Four Swords. Listen, bud, I don't have any idea what's going on here or who you are, but I could REALLY use some help here!!"

"What's happening? And who's making those crazy chants?"

"It's some nutty jungle d00d that's trying to kill me!!"

FS Link looked away from the wall and saw that the crazed warrior had rounded the bend, and was sprinting down the 50 foot stone corridor towards FS Link, vengeance in his eyes. "AHHHH!! Goddammit! You guys got bombs??"

"Yeah!"

"USE 'EM!!1!11!"

FS Link yanked out a bomb and threw it at the cracked wall. He heard the sound of about 8 or nine fuses on the other end being lit up and laid against the wall. Oh boy, there was about to be a big boom. FS Link held up his shield in the wall's direction, while looking back at the warrior running at him. All he could do was wait for the bombs to go off while the vengeful warrior came closer and closer. He was now only about 30 feet away...

The sound of the hissing fuses rang in FS Link's ears. "C'mon, blow up!" FS Link told himself.

20 feet...

FS Link closed his eyes. "Please," he told himself...

10 feet...

Sweat poured down FS Link's face. His teeth clenched. "This is it," he thought, "I'm out of time..."

At last, he felt the force of the warrior's boots slam down behind him. It gave an angry yell, held up it's weapons, and...

_pst!_

The warrior stopped. He stared at FS Link's lone bomb. The fuse was gone and a small wisp of smoke rose from the top...

"Ugh...??"

_KKKAAAAAABBBBBLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM!!_

An absolutely massive explosion shook the temple! FS Link held his shield tight as it protected him from the powerful wave of dust and rocks. He looked back and saw the warrior had been shot backwards by the blast all the way to the back of the corridor. When the smoke finally cleared, FS Link looked back and saw the warrior lying motionless.

He then looked to where the wall had been, but it, along with another large chunk of the temple, lay in ruins. He now saw an armada of green clad folks holding up their shields. One by one, they put their shields down, looked around, stood up, and looked at FS Link. When they were all looking at him, he gave a faint wave. "Hi, sorry if I was any trouble..."

"Not at all. That was awesome!" said LA Link.

"So you're from Four Swords?"

"Yup. And... who are all of you?"

"We're the Links from all the Legend of Zelda games. In case you haven't guessed, our game worlds have all become entwined."

"Yeah, I was wondering why that freaky 3D warrior was in my game. Turns out this ain't my game after all."

"So, does anyone recognize that guy?"

They then heard a grunt. The warrior was alive, and was getting up!! Oh, wait. Someone shot an arrow at it's face. It promptly fell motionless again.

They all looked and saw MM Link holding the bow. "I know him. His name's Odolwa, boss of Woodfall Temple. But he seems a lot more... muscular this time around... and I'm quite surprised that blast didn't kill him. Usually, it only took about 3 bombs to kill him. And I don't remember him having an axe..."

"Hmm, that's strange..."

"Well, thanks to the help of OoS and OoA Link here, we were able to find and help you."

"Thanks guys," said FS Link.

"No prob. It's what we do!" the Oracles Links said.

"Now then, let's get outta here before skirt boy decides to wake up again..."

* * *

They all made it out of the temple and back into the dark forest. FS Link sighed with relief. "Woooh, glad to be outta there! So, how many Links are there left?"

"Hmm," said LoZ Link, "just two! AoL and FSA Link, and our gang'll be complete!"

"Yo," said LttP Link, "Let's go back to where we heard that rustle earlier."

"Hmm... I think we should explore the woods a little deeper. We can backtrack anytime," suggested WW Link.

"Let's go back to the entrance and go the other direction," said LA Link, "at least we know someone's over there."

"Good point," said WW Link, "let's head out."

The nine Links retraced their steps through the dense, dark forest until they arrived at the entrance yet again.

"Which way did we hear that rustle?" asked LttP Link.

"I think it was that way." said LoZ Link.

They all gathered and began to walk. During the long trip, they all talked to pass the time.

"So, you can split into four with your sword?"

"Yeah, but for some reason, not here. I've tried, but something's keeping me from doing so."

"What powers that sword?"

"As far as I know, four element stone thingies."

"I think MC Link's sword is a lot like yours. Maybe he knows something about it. Hey MC Link, what's the energy source behind your sword?"

"Four elements. Fire, wind, earth, and water. All were infused in the blade and made it the Four Sword."

LA Link was surprised to see his friend in a good mood. "Hey, you seem to be feeling alright."

"Yeah. At first, I thought I was a little cruel to Ezlo. But now that I think about it, I didn't really lose much. Just a blabbering nuisance! I actually feel good about it!"

"Err... are you really sure about that?"

"Absolutely! I don't miss him at all! It's such a relief to be able to walk alone for once!"

He seemed to be speaking truthfully, but LA Link wasn't entirely sure. He sensed a bit of denial in his voice. "You honestly don't care that he may be dead?"

"Hell no! Why would I?"

"Well, he sure saw you as a friend..."

MC Link fell silent, but recovered quickly. "Yeah right. All he ever did was order me around and complain. I never saw us as friends..."

LA Link said no more.

"Yo guys, check this out!" exclaimed WW Link.

Everyone looked. A trail of alien footprints was printed in the dirt and ran dead into a tree. However, the dirt on the bottom of the walker's feet had left more footprints on the tree trunk. That's right, the dirt prints actually ran up the side of the tree and disappeared into the branches! Everyone stared in disbelief. What monster was capable of such things? Well, if there was one thing they had learned in this place, it was that where there was a monster, there was another Link. They agreed to climb up.

However, even the lowest branch wasn't too low. Their Hookshots didn't seem to stick to the thick bark, and even if they all stood on another's shoulders, only one Link would be able to make it. They decided to send only one Link into the tree by himself... but who?

LoZ Link observed the height of the lowest tree branch. "OK, it's easy to see that even with all of us stacked up on each other's shoulders, only one of us will be able to actually get up there."

"OK, so who's going?" they all asked.

Silence fell upon everyone. They all looked at each other, waiting for someone to volunteer.

"I'll go," said MM Link, "With my arsenal of masks, I'm prepared for anything."

"OK," said WW Link, "but these footprints don't look human. Just look at this..."

They all looked. It appeared as though whatever made these footprints walked on two legs, but switched to six as it went up the tree. And they looked a little more like holes as opposed to footprints, almost like it had pointy feet that dug into the ground with each step. "Careful man."

"Alright," called out OoT Link, "let's stack up. Since I'm the biggest, I'll go first. 3D characters first, 2D last. WW Link, get on my shoulders!" WW Link hopped up onto OoT Link's shoulders and lay against the tree trunk.

From there, the order up went as follows: OoT Link, WW Link, MC Link, FS Link, LttP Link, LA Link, OoA Link, OoS Link, and LoZ Link. They went in order of weight, size, and dimensions. They had some problems stacking up, but they were eventually able to hold their human ladder. As expected, the lowest branch was just about three or four feet above LoZ Link's head. "Alright MM Link, you're up!"

MM Link nodded. With rapid motion, he stepped up and began to climb the ladder of Links. Everyone groaned as he grabbed and stepped up onto their shoulders, and they almost toppled several times, but he was able to make it up onto LoZ Link's shoulders. He then reached up and tried to grab the branch, but he was only able to touch it with his fingertips. "I... can't grab it!" He called. Everyone groaned and shouted.

"Just hop a little!" suggested LoZ Link.

"Would you be alright with that?" asked MM Link.

"Sure, just get off my shoulders! I'm losing my balance!"

"OK," said MM Link. While struggling to remain on his feet, he slowly bent his legs... and hopped. He barely grabbed the branch with his fingertips, and slid back down a second later. His feet fell hard on LoZ Link's shoulders. "AGH! Dammit!"

The slip had sent a disturbance all the way down the ladder. It was beginning to sway and wobble and drift away from the tree trunk..."We're going over!!"

MM Link saw the branch beginning to get farther away as the ladder slowly began to topple backwards. This was his last chance. With a burst of energy, he shot himself off of LoZ Link's shoulders. He grabbed the branch with his fingers, and with a little work, managed to wrap his hands around it.

His feet swinging, he looked down and saw all the Links fall hard on the dirt. The ones on top got hurt pretty badly, but everyone was able to stand and cheer MM Link on. MM Link swung his legs up onto the branch and wrapped them around. He then flipped his whole body up on top of it. He had done it!

He observed his new surroundings. He could easily climb the branches leading up, but there was also a knothole that looked like it led to the inside of the tree. The hollow area within might travel the whole height of the tree, and may be easier to climb up. How should he go about reaching the top?

MM Link thought climbing the hollow innards of the tree would be easier. The branches got smaller as the tree went up, so climbing them would be hella scary. The lowest branch was high enough to make his stomach knot when he looked down. The rest of the tree was about 12 times as high. Taking a deep breath, he entered the knothole and into the dark inside of the tree...

The inside walls were wet with something... something sticky... sap? Maybe. He felt around in the dark and felt that the sap had dried up on the walls and made the surface very bumpy. Could he perhaps use these juts as handles? He stepped up on one, and it felt sturdy enough. Without further hesitation, he began to climb the dry secretions of sap.

The more he climbed, the darker it became, and the narrower the tree got. After five straight minutes of climbing, the inside of the tree had become so narrow that he couldn't squeeze himself through anymore. The darkness made him feel claustrophobic, and he began to hyperventilate. Maybe this wasn't a good idea...

Then, suddenly, he heard a disturbance outside. Leaves rustling. Bark shedding... Someone screaming? Oh boy...

MM Link climbed down just enough so he could reach his sword. He then proceeded to stab through the skin of the tree. It was unbelievably thick, but after a few minutes of stabbing, he finally poked a hole. He heard the noises all around him, traveling around the branches. What was out there? When the source began to come near, he peeked through his hole.

WTF?!

All he saw was a mess of green and blue. Like two things were in mortal combat! The green... he instantly knew; another Link! But, what was he fighting? It appeared to be quite big, and it had a blue shell. It walked on two legs...

Whatever it was, he needed to help kill it! He speared at the bark until he'd made a hole big enough for his head to go through. It was then that the new Link saw him. He gave the monster a strong blow that knocked it down a few branches, and ran up to MM Link. "Hey, who are you?"

"Who am I? Who are YOU?"

"I'm Link."

"Which one? From what Zelda game?"

"Four Swords Adventures."

"Sweet! I'm Majora's Mask Link. All the Links are here, and you're the second to last one we've found!"

"Wow, really? That's weird... why are all the Links in this craphole of a place?"

"I don't know, but we've got other problems right now."

The creature had regained its balance and was starting up again. It looked like a big, blue 2D crab, but it had one massive eye, and walked on two legs, using the other four as arms.

MM Link was soon able to worm his way out of the hole and onto the branch. The height was dizzying, and one careless slip would only mean good-bye. However, he had to retain focus. "C'mon," said FSA Link, "I know how we can beat him!" He led MM Link down a bit to a branch that jutted out far more than the others. It also looked like it could snap loose any minute. "We have to lure him to the edge and break the branch. It's a long fall. Don't think it'll survive."

"OK," said MM Link, "but one of us will have to lure and the other will have to cut..."

"So?"

"So, one of us will have to go on the branch to lure him onto it!"

"So?"

"So, one of us will have to be BAIT!"

"So?"

"So godammit, who's gonna BE the bait??"

FSA Link just stared.

MM Link sighed. "OK, I'll be the bait..."

"You sure?" asked FSA Link.

"Not totally..." replied MM Link reluctantly.

A loud roar made then both jump. A spiky blue crab leg burst through the leaves nearby. The creature made it's appearance, with murder in its one eye. The way it walked so coordinately on its bottom two legs while using it's other four legs seemed so unnatural it was almost scary to see it begin to run at them. "I'll distract it!" said FSA Link, "Get on the branch when you get your chance!!"

The killer crab hopped from branch to branch on it's two legs, using it's other four to stab at the two Links. FSA Link hacked at it's back, but his sword simply bounced off the tough shell. The monster soon put all of it's attention of FSA Link. He began to lure it away. "Go, MM Link, go!!"

MM Link nodded. The part of the branch connected to the trunk was indeed cracked and looked weak. The branch itself was also very long and not exactly thick. He carefully stepped onto it. It cracked loudly. Fearfully, he got on with both feet and began to make it to the edge. In the background, he heard the combat between the creature and FSA Link. He would occasionally hear him cry out in pain. Was he being stabbed by those horrid legs/arms? Shuddering at the thought, he hurried to the tip of the branch.

The branch jutted out far from the cloud of leaves, and MM Link was able to see down clearly. Goodness he was high up. The forest mist made it impossible to tell just how far the drop was. He sucked in his stomach and looked back, waiting for the monster to take the bait.

He then heard FSA Link's cries coming closer. The sounds of him and the creature's wails traveled like wind around the tree. It was traveling towards the branch... up... above the branch...?

FSA Link suddenly poked his head through the leaves above. He looked down to MM Link. "He's here! Get ready, dude!"

"OK, I'm ready!"

A bit of tussling went on in the leaves above. MM Link waited anxiously for the moment to come...

_BAM!_ The huge blue crab had fallen out of the leaves above and right onto the branch! MM Link felt the branch bend and creak, ready to snap any minute. The creature stood up, looked at MM Link, and began to approach slowly. MM Link saw FSA Link at the other end of the branch, his sword ready to chop it off. But how was MM Link going to escape??

The creature's eye turned blood red... and shot a fireball! MM Link jumped forward and onto his belly, letting the fireball pass over him. It blasted off the very tip of the branch. MM Link watched the wood shard fall and fall into the mist. He gulped. He was cornered. Trapped... What could he do...?!

He then realized - the crabs legs bent outward! It was a perfect roll-through hole! He waited for the monster to charge up for another fireball, because it was clearly blind during this time. It took a few steps closer, now only two feet away from the frightened MM Link. He then saw the monster's eye begin to glow... NOW!

MM Link quickly donned his Bunny Hood and rolled through the crab's legs. As he ran, he laughed as he saw the monster fire a blind shot into the mist. It looked around stupidly and turned around, anger in its eye. He then looked at FSA Link, who was ready to slice.

"JUMP!!" he yelled. He brought the sword down and cut straight through the branch it fell right out from under MM Link's feet. He jumped and was able to grab FSA Link's hand. They looked back and saw the idiot monster screech and fall into the sea of fog. FSA Link pulled MM Link up to safety.

"Thanks," MM Link said.

"Naw, thank YOU. Couldn't have beat him without you."

They laughed, a laugh of relief.

They now had to get back down the tree to the others. It was a really long fall, but they had both fallen long distances before. Should they trust their strength and jump? Or just be safe and climb down?

MM Link studied the drop. "You think we could jump? I'm sure we've both handled high falls before..."

FSA Link looked at him like he was crazy. "I haven't! I've only fallen into bottomless pits and reemerged at the top! I'm 2D, dude. I've never handled falls this high."

"OK, so you suggest we climb down?"

"Yes. Let's be sane, if only for a moment."

"Alright..."

The two began to descend the tree branch by branch. As they did, they talked.

"So," asked MM Link, "do you have any idea what that thing was?"

"Well, it sure looked a lot like a few monsters I saw in FSA. They were called Ghomas."

"Hmm... sounds familiar..."

"Yeah, they looked like big one-eyed crabs without pincers. And they had six legs, but..."

"But what?"

"They were brown, not blue, and that one looked horribly pixilated, like it was dated from 1987 or something."

MM Link laughed to himself. "Yeah, I suppose." He then thought about the rest of the Links. "I wonder if they've seen the monster fall... the other Links..."

"Maybe. Perhaps one of them knows more about it?"

"Maybe..."

They soon reached the lowest branch from which MM Link had climbed up. The rest of the Links saw him with his new companion and cheered. "Yeah, dude, you did it!!"

They each dropped off the branch and the rest of the Links caught them. "So who's this?"

"This is FSA Link," MM Link said.

"Hi guys. It's great to meet all of you. But it is a little weird too..."

"Heh, tell me about it!" said OoT Link. "This mix of 2D and 3D and the 80's and 90's and 00's is driving me insane!"

"And do any of you know what that is..."

They all looked at the corpse of the crab. LoZ got a stunned look on his face. "Oh my god, that's Ghoma!"

"Yeah," said MM Link, "but did this 'Ghoma' walk on two legs?"

"Hell no. On all six, like it should."

"Well this thing walked like a human, only was more agile than one..." said FSA Link.

LoZ Link began to think hard. "We can figure this out later. Right now, let's go find the final Link..."

"Who is the final Link?"

LoZ Link paused. "My older incarnation. From the Adventure of Link..."

* * *

AoL Link was thinking hard. This was strange... so many monsters, all mixed dimensions and dates... what was going on in this place?

He took his eyes off the group of Links and hid behind the tree, which was about a hundred paces away from them. Following this group was a bit easy in the forest. Far easier than it had been in the ocean, in which he had to stay hidden in the fog on his raft. He didn't want to reveal himself quite yet - he wanted to gather as much information about them and their situation as he could. The time would come when he would show himself.

So far, he had seen and learned a shocking amount. All the Zelda universes had collided and the resulting super universe was trapped in a dark world. All the Links were there too. They'd met up with some monsters that they seemed to recognize, but weren't exactly as they remembered. He didn't see everything that had happened in the ocean, for he had seen a Link riding a leaping blue fish nearby, and sailed out of its way to avoid being seen, too far to be able to observe anything else that may have happened on the boat. Also, this MC Link had apparently killed his friend 'Ezlo', and seemed quite upset about it at first, but now seemed to be regaining happiness. He never actually saw who Ezlo was, on account of the ocean mist, but he was gone now nonetheless...

But lo! They were now on the move! And they were moving in his direction! He backed up and began to carefully rummage through the foliage. He then hid under a large leaf and peered out from underneath. He watched their feet as they passed, and listened to the conversations going on...

"Only one Link left, right?"

"Yup, AoL Link."

"Where do you think he could be..."

"You sure you're OK about losing Ezlo?"

"I told you, I'm happy about it now! I don't miss him!"

"OK, then. I'm just worried about you man..."

Their voices faded.

AoL Link then heard the sound of the ocean. Was the shore nearby? He turned and headed a bit deeper and found the shore of the black inky sea he had been in earlier. There also seemed to be a bit of a current pushing toward the shore. Perhaps there were some interesting things washed ashore? Making sure he could still hear the voices so he didn't lose them, he decided to take a look around the shoreline.

He walked along a bit until he saw something shiny and yellow... he approached with caution. As he got near, he saw... a shield? He picked it up. Oof, it was heavy! But, wow, it was strong! And it's surface looked so reflective, like a mirror...

He continued along the shore and found something else. A hammer. A 3D hammer! Cool! He'd be the first 2D character to handle a 3D item! A little while later, he found another hammer! But this one had a skull on it. Even better! He soon reached a long stretch with several diffused bombs floating in the ink. He had no use for them, but their presence still intrigued him...

Then, among the armada of bombs, he found something incredible. Two swords... one was decorated with neon colors and black roses. The other... was absolutely gigantic. Even a full grown man would need two hands to swing it! All these treasures were definitely worth something, so he decided to keep them. Perhaps they were the possessions of the Links? He hadn't seen them throw anything out. Maybe it happened during the period where he wasn't able to see them...

He looked far in both directions, but found nothing else...

He turned back and began to head back into the forest, but a muffled cry made him stop. He turned around again, toward the ocean. He searched and searched, and soon found something he hadn't noticed before... a small green cap, kind of like his, but it had... a beak? He picked it up. It had eyes too, but they were closed. Was it dead? He lay it down on the rocky shore.

It seemed like an inanimate object, but something about just seemed... alive. What should he do with it?

AoL Link wondered if this thing really was alive. It had a mouth, eyes... perhaps he should try to wake it up. He had no idea what it was - it could be a monster for all he knew. Perhaps it was better to just put it away...

Naw, he should at least try to do something. Even if it was mean, it couldn't put up that much of a fight. He proceeded to try and wake it up. He shook it. "Hey, you awake!?"

No reply.

He shook it harder. "C'mon, wake up!" he said, trying not to be too loud.

The strange hat thing lay limp in AoL Link's hands.

He then got an idea. He'd heard somewhere that if you cut off the flow of oxygen to a sleeper's lungs, they wake up automatically. He held the hat thing by it's neck and dunked it's head into the inky sludge. After what seemed like a minute, AoL Link began to see bubbles rising to the surface! He yanked the hat out... It's eyes were fluttering open!

"You awake?!" AoL Link asked again.

"Uhnn..." the hat had trouble speaking. "Oh... I'm sorry... ugh..."

He was awake! But he wasn't making sense. Sorry for what? To whom? He asked sternly.

"You... were... my only friend... you... broke my... hea..."

The creature lay still.

"Poor thing." AoL Link told himself. He now had no choice. He could only lay it gently on the highest rock to ensure it would not be swept out, and leave it be. For a long time he stared. It was clear that it was alive, and it would wake up eventually, but he had no time to wait and find out. He had to go to the others. Without looking back, he scurried back into the forest.

He listened for the voices of the group. When he heard them, he hid behind a nearby tree and listened. He peeked over and saw they had stopped for a rest in a small clearing. He opened his ears and listened...

"Ugh, this is hopeless!" cried LttP Link. "It was easy when there were 12 Links looking for each other, but now that there's 11 looking for 1, the odds are hella low!"

"Still," said LoZ Link, "we all agreed to find one another and solve this mystery together."

"I'm getting sick of this," said OoT Link. "This place is driving me insane..."

"I hate it here!" complained OoS Link.

"Yeah, let's just continue without AoL Link," said OoA Link.

"Or let's just at least stop and rest..." moaned WW Link.

"No, we have to find the last Link ASAP!" shouted LoZ Link.

"And who made YOU the self-appointed leader of this pack?!" shouted MM Link. "Oh, wait, I just answered that question!"

LA Link could sense the tension. "C'mon guys, let's just calm down and take a rest. We've worked hard today."

"Shut up!" screamed OoT Link, "Everyone knows LA sucked ass anyway!"

LA Link was stunned.

MC Link spoke. "Hey, leave him alone, he's just trying to help..."

"I wouldn't be talkin', murderer! I don't condone with people who kill their friends!"

MC Link was taken aback. He tried to retaliate, but only whimpers came out. He turned his back to the crowd.

FS Link suddenly hushed the crowd. "EVERYONE!!" he shouted, "WE HAVE TO COME TO A DECISION!!"

Everyone was quiet. FSA Link continued, "We must decide whether we should continue searching or to stay here for a bit and reflect on our adventure. Doing so may close a few gaps in the mystery!"

The Links all looked at one another. AoL Link remained behind the tree, waiting...

LA Link reluctantly spoke. "Err, if I may say so, I think we should stop and reflect on our adventure."

"Yeah," said OoT Link, "it may help us get a little closer to solving this mystery."

LoZ Link sighed. "OK, fine. Everyone take a seat and let's discuss."

Everyone sat sparingly around three moss-covered logs. "OK, now where should we begin...?"

"Ah, let's start with the monsters!" said WW Link. "We can't deny that we've seen some pretty freaky monsters in this place."

"Yeah, what have we run into so far?" asked LttP. "Let's see, there was that big jelly blob in the ocean... that crazy jungle d00d... oh, yeah, that big blue crab... oh, and that big red bird thing."

"Well, said OoT Link, "I can explain that blob. That was Morpha. Seemed the same as he was in Ocarina, but... for one thing, before, he was only able to create two tentacles at one time. But this time, it must've been about... twenty..."

"Interesting. Anything else?"

"Oh, and the black ooze. Before, he was transparent, cuz he was made of water, so you could see his nucleus, which is his weak point. But since he was made of that black crap, it was impossible to tell where his nucleus was! Thanks to MC Link, we were able to find it, but it still was a lot of work."

"Wow..."

MM Link cleared is throat. "I am familiar with the jungle warrior. His name is Odolwa. But he, too, seemed very different than he did in Majora. His sword was about twice as long, he now wielded an axe, a weapon he hadn't had before, and this time he was totally ripped. Biggest muscles I've ever seen! In MM, he was as skinny as Paris Hilton in a porter potty!"

"Hmm... very intriguing... well, how about that blue crab?"

LoZ Link stood up this time. "That was the original Ghoma. In LoZ, he was the easiest piece-of-crap boss in the game. Stand in the doorway, shoot arrows when it's eye's open, dodge fireballs, yadadada..."

FS and MM Link stood in defense. "Easy?! That thing was a nightmare! Those fireballs were massive, and he was pretty agile for walking on two legs!"

LoZ Link thought a bit. "He never walked on two legs..."

"Well, how about that red bird thing?"

No one stood.

AoL Link wanted to say something, but had to remain hidden. Nonetheless, the monster he had recognized sure looked a lot bigger than when he had fought it...

"Well," said LttP Link, "it's appearant that the monsters of Zelda lore have been dragged here too. But they're definitely a lot more powerful. Could the darkness of this place be feeding them strength...?"

Everyone was deep in thought.

WW Link then stood. "And another thing, we've been in this place for God-knows-how-long now, and has anyone seen another living thing other than mutated monsters??"

FSA Link wondered. "Hey, yeah! I haven't seen any townsfolk or nobody in here. It's like we're the only people that got dragged here!"

"But how could we be the only ones?"

"I'm bettin' that it's not by chance..."

LoZ Link looked worried. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't think this happened for no reason. It all seems like too much to be a coincidence..."

Everyone was silent.

"I think something's happening to me..." MC Link said softly.

Everyone looked. LA Link, worried, asked "What do you mean?"

"My mind... something is just making my emotions double. I'm overreacting to everything..."

"Is that why you-?"

"Of course. I never would have done that..." He began to weep.

OoT Link looked at LA Link apologetically. "I never meant to say LA sucked. It was just... my anger coming out."

"But what are we angry about?" asked LoZ Link. "We don't really have any reason to hate each other. And I think it's a little more than just insanity..."

"What are you coming to...?"

"I'm saying that I believe there's something physical... something in the air that's poisoning our minds and making us turn against each other..."

Everyone was struck with fear.

"GODAMMIT, WHY ARE WE HERE!?" screamed LA Link.

"We don't know, but it's clear that somebody wants us all dead."

"But who would want that...?"

No one said anymore. At that point, everyone somehow knew the discussion was over and it was time to move on...

* * *

At one point along the trail, they came to a fork. One way lead through more trees, and one way lead to a rockier path. Which path should they take?

MM Link sighed. "We've seen the ocean and the trees. Let's see where the rocks take us."

"You're right." said FSA Link. "I'm sick of trees."

"All righty then, let's go down the rock path." said LoZ Link.

They turned left toward the rocks. In that direction, they could see the beginning of a chain of mountains. It was an odd mix of 2D and 3D peaks rolled into one. "Seems like all our Death Mountains and Mt. Tamaranchs and Snowheads have all been gathered here..." observed LA Link.

"Stay on your toes," warned OoT Link, "seems like were gonna pass the shore before he reach the mountains.

"Oh, god." said LttP Link. "I don't wanna see that sickening pool of crap again..."

The shoreline soon came into view. About a mile ahead, they could make out a sloped path that lead up the mountain. The thick liquid that washed up onto the shore made no waves. Only a splotching sound with each rock it splat against. FSA Link noticed MC Link falling behind and looking sadly out to sea. Being unaware of the incident, FSA Link asked, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

"OK, just wonderin'..." He caught up with the group without another word.

* * *

"Dammit, where'd they go!?" AoL Link asked himself sternly. He had heard the group leave, but he got caught up in a carnivorous plant while following them. When he escaped, he had lost them. He was now at a junction - one that led to a rocky path, and another that led deeper into the forest. Angry with himself, he could only guess which way they went. Crossing his fingers, he ran quickly down the rocky path. Maybe he'd catch up before something else happened...

* * *

The group of Links walked along the shore until they saw something strange. "Hey," said OoT Link, "check out all these bombs..." Everyone saw about 100 diffused bombs floating along the shoreline.

"Hey," said MC Link, "those are the bombs I threw out of the boat to conserve weight... Did the current bring them here?"

"But then all of our equipment would have, too." said MM Link.

"Where's all of OUR stuff?" asked WW Link.

Suddenly, MC Link became worried. He began to search the cloud of bombs frantically. Was he looking for something? A sudden whimper escaped his throat. "Oh my god..." He ran further up shore, and everyone followed. "EZLO!!" He knelt beside his companion on the rock, who lay lifelessly. "Ezlo..." he said, "I'm sorry..."

He got no reply.

"Ezlo? Are you awake?"

Nothing.

"Ezlo?! EZLO!?"

He remained lifeless.

"Ezlo... please wake up..."

Ezlo did not obey.

MC Link broke down into tears. Struggling to speak between his quivering sobs, he choked, "I'm so... sorry..."

The Oracles Links approached slowly.

"C'mon man, there's nothing you can do." said OoA Link soothingly.

"He would have forgiven you in a heartbeat." said OoS Link.

MC Link looked at them through teary eyes. "You're right. He would have... but he can't..."

"It's not worth it." said OoT Link. "Let's continue."

"Yeah..." said MC Link, almost whispering. "Let's go..."

The group began to walk. MC Link stayed behind a second or two to give one last forlorn look at his old friend. He took out his sword and lay it beside him. "May I die the way you did... defenseless and innocent." He forced himself to turn away and continue on. Ezlo lay still, the sword laying by his side.

* * *

The crew soon reached the sloping path up the mountain. They could easily scale the path, but it seemed rather long. To the right was a rough wall that may have been climbable, and if they climbed fast, they could save a lot of time. Which way should they go?

"C'mon guys, let's climb the wall..." said MM Link.

"No way, I'm not very good at that sort of thing..." said LoZ Link.

"Well, alright, if you wanna go around the trail and fall an hour behind, then be my guest!"

"Hey, I don't appreciate that type of disrespect!"

"Well no one ever said YOU were respectable!"

OoA Link chimed in. "Fellass, c'mon, cut it out."

OoS Link said, "Yeah, don't let the poisonous air get to you..."

FSA Link grew peeved. "And why should we trust YOU'RE judgment?! You're the only ones that didn't even talk during our discussion!"

They both fell silent. Everyone did.

"Don't worry," said LA Link to LoZ Link, "we'll help you climb."

"OK, let's start up then!"

The rocks were 3D and were easily climbable. Everyone started up without a problem. "Hey, who recognizes this wall?" asked LttP Link.

"It looks like the rock walls leading to the peak of Death Mountain." said OoT Link. "But it's a helluva lot taller..."

They all looked up the cliff. It must've been at least 100 feet tall. LA Link stayed below LoZ Link and helped him up. They fell behind a bit, but at least LoZ Link was able to keep moving. It seemed that everyone liked the idea of making a single file line to help anyone who might fall, so they all lined up - OoT Link in front, LoZ Link and LA Link at the bottom. All the other Links in the middle were lined up in no particular order. Everything was going swimmingly. They were halfway up before they knew it, and would reach the top without any trouble...

* * *

The sound of waves began to reach his ears. The cool rock pressing against his back made him sit up. Where was he? What had happened? He didn't quite remember...

Ezlo stretched out his neck and scratched his fibers with his beak. As he awoke from his daze, he immediately remembered - he had been thrown into the ocean! And he'd... survived?! He looked out toward sea and saw he had washed ashore! "WAHOO!" he yelled. "I'm invincible!"

He suddenly remembered MC Link. How angry he had gotten, and how he had relentlessly hurled him into the sea. "Why was I so stubborn...?" He knelt his head down. "I always saw MC Link as a friend, but I never showed it. All I ever did was treat him like a child that could never amount to anything. Oh, I deserved to be thrown into the ocean!" He slowly turned around... and saw the sword. It had fallen into the shore water and was rolling in the waves with the armada of unarmed bombs. "Hey," he told himself, "these are the bombs we threw away! But, I don't remember him throwing his sword away..." He began to think - why would his sword be there? It made no sense...

But then, he knew... "Oh, no. He must've found me unconscious here. He wouldn't have left his most valuable weapon by my side if he knew I was alive. That must mean..." He stiffened. "He thought I was dead..."

He then shook his head slowly. "No... why would he leave his most valuable weapon with me even if I was dead? I'm a horrible friend... He's risking his life just to show me respect that I don't deserve. I never realized how much we..." His speech was interrupted by his choking sobs. "How do I even know he's still alive? In this place without a sword... how do I know...?"

He shed a tear.

"No, he's still alive! I know it! I have to retain hope! I'm sorry, Link! I'm coming!" He grabbed the sword in his mouth and began to drag it along the rocky shore. "C'mon Ezlo. I gotta find Link... who knows how much longer he'll survive...?"

* * *

"Yo, LttP Link!" screamed WW Link, "can you climb a little faster??"

LttP Link groaned. "Please, not this again..."

The line of Links was making excellent progress climbing the cliff while staying close. "Yo!" called OoT Link, "Only about 20 more feet!!"

Everyone cheered.

OoT Link was in the middle of reaching for another rock to grab onto when he heard a rumble. Everyone else apparently heard it too, for they all stopped climbing. "What was that?" asked FS Link quietly...

A deafening _CRRRAAACCKKK_ traveled down the both edges of the cliff. The Links began to feel the cliff wall begin to topple backwards.

"Grab my hand!!" yelled OoT Link down to LttP Link, who was below him. He grabbed his hand, and everyone grabbed the hand of the one below and above them. The cliff wall fell backwards like a book left sitting on its spine falling over. The cliff wall fell into the black ocean with a massive _SPLASH!!_

OoT Link had his hand over the top of the cliff. The part that had toppled was just under his feet - they now swung freely. Below, a chain of Links all held onto each other for dear life, with LoZ Link on the bottom. "Pull us up!!" He yelled. "PULL US UP!!" Everyone began to yell it with him.

OoT Link began to pull, when suddenly a feeling passed through his mind. A dark feeling... an angry feeling... He looked down... and oh... how he would have loved to just let go and watch them all scream and fall to their deaths... how lovely that would be...

In his conscious mind, he knew he couldn't do that. But the desire to let them all die at his hand was beginning to take over... How should he save himself and everyone depending on him for his life?? OoT Link's mind was poisoned. It pleased his mind to think of watching his friends fall the height of the cliff and watching their blood splatter at the bottom...

And if he ever began to think about helping them, his head began to throb in pain. It was as though something had crawled into his brain and was forcing him to think of such evil things. Braving the horrible pain, he yelled, "CLIMB UP!!"

Everyone immediately obeyed. LA Link and LoZ Link, being on the bottom, climbed up first. Everyone climbed up as quickly as possible. OoT Link tried to fight the urge to let go just long enough for everyone to get to safety. However, it wasn't long enough. When only WW Link and LttP Link held on, OoT Link's mind snapped. A wave of pain shot through his brain, and without a second thought, he let LttP Link's palm slip out from his. They began to fall.

And OoT Link felt strangely satisfied...

"NOOOOO!!" OoS Link leapt to the edge of the cliff and held out his hands, which were equipped with the Magnet Gloves. The magnetism caught onto WW Link's sword and was strong enough to pull him up. OoA Link turned the 'switch' function off on his Switch Hook and shot it down to LttP Link. It fastened around his waist, and he was pulled up to safety.

OoT Link continued to hang from the cliff's edge with one hand, still staring down with a wicked grin on his face. MM Link grabbed his hand, and flipped him over, making him land hard on his back. "What the hell is WRONG with you!?"

OoT Link suddenly got a look like he'd just been awakened from a bad dream. "I... I don't know... something was just telling me to let go..."

OoA Link was worried. "What thoughts were going through your mind?"

"I... seem to remember things like... 'OoT is the best... no other Zelda can ever be half of what it is... they don't deserve to live...'"

"Interesting." said FS Link. "It was all because you think OoT's the best?"

"No, no..." said OoT Link. "But something sure was making me think that."

"Well, whatever this poison is that's in the air, it seems to be working. And that's not good..."

"Yeah, it wants us all to believe we're the best, and that the others are undeserving of life..."

"We just all gotta remember that all Zelda games are equal, and we should be OK!"

However, as they began to walk along the trail, they were all simultaneously thinking the same thing...

_"Yeah, but not me. The world knows I'm the best..."_

* * *

Ezlo had a load of trouble dragging the sword with his beak. However, he needed to give it back to MC Link. "C'mon..." he told himself between pants, "Just...gotta...reach...that...mountain..." He was trekking along when he saw something horrible - the entire face of a mountain cliff began to crumble. Even in the distance, he could see it fall forward and splash into the ocean. Oh dear... he hoped the Links weren't below that cliff face, or climbing up it...

Nonetheless, he continued to pull the sword along and maintained hope that MC Link was still alive. "Even if he doesn't forgive me... I still can't let him go on like this without a weapon. I can't let him risk his own life just to show respect for me that I don't deserve..."

As he pulled and trudged, he heard a noise behind him. A green figure burst from the woods. "AGGHHHH!! Get away!!" Ezlo screamed. He then realized that it was a Link! But he was 2D and didn't recognize him. The dude seemed to recognize him, though. "Oh hey, it's you! The little green hat guy I found! You're alive??"

Ezlo gave him a look. "Well, geez, it would appear so, eh?"

The guy seemed relieved. "I'm AoL Link. I found you washed ashore and put you up on this rock. It was hard to tell whether you were alive or not, so I just left you here. And by the way, what's your name?"

"Ezlo..."

His eyes shot up. "Oh... my... god. You're Ezlo?? The Ezlo MC Link has been talking about?"

Ezlo suddenly brightened. "MC Link? I used to be his hat! But then..."

"I heard them say he threw you into the ocean."

"Yeah... but I can't blame him... I was such an awful friend..."

"Well, I've been spying on the group of Links and..."

"What did MC Link say about me?" Ezlo was eager to know.

"Well..." he said slowly, regrettably. "I heard one of them say 'Are you sure you're OK about what you did to Ezlo?' and MC Link's reply was... 'I told you, I'm happy about it! He wasn't even my friend...' "

Ezlo dropped the sword out of his mouth. He knelt down and closed his eyes to prevent the tears from escaping. His heart weighed a thousand pounds. "I was hoping it wasn't true," he said sadly. "I was hoping he'd forgive me..."

AoL Link felt sorry for him. "I'm sorry... but that's all I heard..."

Ezlo looked towards the mountains. His face tightened. "I still want to go to him."

AoL Link's eyebrows shot up. "But... why? It really seems as though he doesn want to see you again."

Ezlo suddenly became suspicious. "But then... why did he leave his sword with me? He can't survive in this place without his sword..."

AoL Link began to speak, but he, too, was confused. "Well, no matter, I guess. Let's go to him together."

Ezlo smiled. "Yeah, let's give them a big surprise, shall we?"

AoL Link picked up MC Link's sword and Ezlo. They started down the shoreline, eager and reluctant at the same time to catch up with the others...

* * *

The Links all walked along the rocky mountain trail without saying a single word. They only communicated through looks. Angry looks. In their minds, they could only think about how worthless each other was and how little they contributed to the Zelda series. However, after a long time of insane silence, the mold was broken...

"God, I know what you're all thinking, so just stop thinking it already! The original Zelda is the only one worth playing, alright!?" screamed LoZ Link.

OoT Link turned on him. "Yeah, right! You're looking at the star of the highest rated video game ever made."

"Well I had a link system!" yelled OoS Link.

"Yeah, but mine was better!" OoA Link screamed back.

"All y'all were just copycats of each other! At least I dared to be different!" MM Link said.

"I'm multiplayer man!" said FS Link. "You guys phail!"

"So am I!" replied FSA Link. "And frankly, I improved upon your system a helluva lot!"

"You all are dreamers. LttP was the best in all areas. I own." LttP Link yelled.

WW Link stood tall. "Who's on the most powerful system, eh? That would be me!! And besides, my graphix PWN!"

Only MC Link and LA Link remained silent in the hellish argument. LA Link was worried about everyone, and MC Link could only think of his grief for his lost friend. The bickering continued until they began to draw swords. "Let's end this!!" OoT Link cried. "Last Link standing is the best!"

They all screamed and charged at one another. However, before anyone could lay a blow, a bolt of thunder made everyone stop.

They looked up and saw a blue cloaked figure floating high above their heads. It laughed wickedly and held up its arms. A massive whirlwind began to form and slowly began to descend towards earth...

Right above LoZ Link.

"HELP!!" he screamed, as the wind began to lift him up. The other Links suddenly snapped out of their anger and began to worry. "Oh, no! Guys, let's help him! Grab him and pull him back down!" cried LttP Link.

"I think we should shoot at that guy!" called FS Link...

"Divide and conquer!" called OoT Link. "3D Links, were heavier, so let's pull LoZ Link down! The rest of you, fire at will!"

OoT Link then ran over to LoZ Link and grabbed his legs, trying to pull him down. MM Link and WW Link joined him. All the rest gathered around and fired arrows at the mysterious blue figure.

However, it didn't seem to be working. The arrows simply bounced off the figure, and the 3D Links felt themselves slowly being lifted up by the wind. The blue figure did a swift motion with his hands, and LoZ Link flew up at amazing speed, causing all 3D Links to let go. LoZ Link flew into the figure's arms, and the two disappeared in a cloud of blue smog. Everyone stood, staring up at the sky. They then all looked at one another, angrily. As though they blamed everyone but themselves...

"Nice plan!" FSA Link shouted to OoT Link. "Thanks to you, LoZ Link is gone!"

"Yeah, so? That's what everyone wanted, right?! I let go of him! And I bet these two didn't exactly try to hold on either!"

MM Link and WW Link stared angrily. "Yeah, I let him go! Something was telling me to!"

"Guys, this is really creeping me out." said LA Link. "Whatever's in the air is really taking effect. And that cloaked guy... Could he be behind it?"

"But who IS he, smart-ass?!"

"I don't know, but he sure looked evil... And if you ask me, I say we go save LoZ Link."

"What the hell are you talking about!? We don't want him alive!"

"Yes we do! Think about it - if LoZ Link dies, none of us will exist!! He's the one who launched the series! We wouldn't be here if not for him!!"

Everyone fell silent. They seemed to take in what he was saying.

"Fine, but only for our sakes."

"Exactly! Whoever's behind us really wants us all dead! And they're doing it by killing the original Link!"

"Well, if we're to stay alive, we have to fight these feelings..."

LA Link smiled. "Yeah! The bad guy likely went into that scary black tower on the top of that really tall 2D mountain..."

They all looked up at a hideous looking building that was an odd mixture of 2D and 3D. Everyone seemed to recognize little bits and pieces of its architecture...

"Alright guys, let's go!"

"But what about that AoL Link we haven't found yet?"

"Let's just hope he's alright..."

* * *

After about another hour hike, they reached the building. There was a rather large front door, but there was also an open window about 20 feet up the western wall. How should they get in?

"OK, let's think using Zelda logic." said LttP Link. "The front door will likely either be locked from the other side or have an ambush behind it, while the window will likely be left unguarded and give us a head start up the tower... therefore, I undoubtedly prefer to enter through the door."

Everyone looked at him stupidly.

"...I mean the window."

"Yeah," said OoA Link, "the window's the best."

"The door sux." said OoS Link coolly.

"Alright then, guys. Who's got climbing devices?"

OoT, MM, WW, LttP and LA Link all took out their Hookshots. Each one carried a different Link on their back - LoZ, OoS, OoA, FS, and FSA Link hitched rides. MC Link climbed solo with his Grip Ring. With the fire of all five Hookshots, just about all the Links were able to climb through the window in no time. MC Link seemed to be climbing a bit slow, but he soon leapt through. They looked through the dark hallway ahead of them.

"Stay quiet everyone..." OoT Link warned.

Everyone obeyed. They began to walk down it slowly and quietly. For a long time, they walked and walked, wondering where they might end up. The walls were littered with strange 2D candles and 3D figureheads. They all recognized little bits and pieces of the interior, but no one said a thing. All they knew was that whatever they recognized, they recognized it from the final area of their game...

A wicked laugh echoed around the hall. The strange blue cloaked figure descended upon them. Before anyone could make a move, it lashed. Lightning bolts, tentacles, fireballs... a frenzy filled the entire hallway, knocking out each Link cold within seconds. The creature laughed as it lifted up all the Links with its mind and carried them down to the dungeon...

* * *

"Where do you suppose everyone can be?" Ezlo asked, annoyed.

"They're on this mountain somewhere," AoL Link said.

"And another thing. What's with these mountains?? One moment you're walking on 3D polygons then you're balancing on pixels! What gives?"

"Seems like whatever slammed all the Zelda universes together slammed them together in a pretty orderly fashion..."

That made Ezlo think a bit. "Do you really believe this was all organized?"

"Seems that way..."

"Well then someone wants us dead?"

"Yup..."

"No. No, I'm not dying now! Not until I see MC Link again! I need to know he's still alive so I can apologize!"

"OK, suit yourself. Whoa, check out the freaky-lookin' building..."

"Hey! That's the insignia on top of Dark Hyrule Castle in MC!"

"And I see some white pillars like from the Great Palace in AoL..."

They looked at each other.

"You think...?"

"Yup, I think."

"Well, how are we gonna...?"

"Get inside? Good question. I think I can High Jump myself into that window..."

"OK, get to it, Shaq!"

AoL Link equipped the Jump spell and sailed into the window.

"YAY! Now let's find MC Link!!"

"Shut up!" AoL Link whispered. "Listen to that..."

They listened. They heard someone cackling. An evil laugh.

"Oh boy..." Ezlo said. "Let's hide. I think they're coming this way..."

"I think they're moving away. Let's follow it..."

_"But it's coming closer!"_ quivered Ezlo.

"Shut up, it's moving further. And we're following!"

Ezlo sighed. "Fine, but remember, if we die, that you'll be responsible for my death, too. Heh, had to remind MC Link of that all the time..."

AoL Link listened to the soft laughter. Whoever was doing it was awfully pleased with himself. "Alright, I think it's coming from down the hall here. Let's go."

Ezlo shoved his head under his brim and shivered. AoL Link began to tiptoe towards the source of the laugh. As he reached the end of the hallway, he looked around the corner and saw the tip of a blue cloak round another bend further ahead. "There's the guy..." he said under his breath.

"What, where??" Ezlo shot up and looked.

AoL Link stammered in surprise. "Shhh!"

The soft laughter stopped. AoL Link saw the figure's shadow returning around the corner. AoL Link flung himself behind his corner. After a few seconds, he slowly peeked over... The figure had rounded the corner, and was looking at him! He gasped and went back around. He waited and prayed that he hadn't been seen...

Evidently not, for he heard the figure continue walking, but no longer chuckling with pleasure. Had it seen him? If it had, why didn't it strike? Perhaps it was aware of AoL Link's and Ezlo's presence, but was simply being deceitful... yeah, maybe it was leading him into a trap...

"Don't say stuff like that!" Ezlo said with a worried tone.

"What? I didn't say anything..."

"You're sure speaking your thoughts loud!"

"Whatever, it may be true. Let's just cross our fingers and see where we end up. And let's hope that all the Links are safe..."

* * *

The cell was made of gray stone, and was damp and dusty at the same time. It was chilly, too. All the Links, except for LoZ Link, who was still nowhere to be found, sat up against the walls, the chains around their wrists and ankles rusty and cold. "Damn..." thought FS Link. "More chains..."

However, the quality of their prison was not what was on everyone's mind. All they could do was stare at one another. All their expressions angry and coarse, murder in their eyes. If not for the chains, they could easily slice each other into pieces.

A voice sounded in the backs of all their heads. As they turned to look at each Link around the room, it would speak... _"He's worthless... he's contributed nothing to the series of Zelda... surely not as much as you have... why should he live and take all that you've worked so hard for? Huh? Kill him... kill him..."_

The only ones who seemed to be even the slightest bit sane were MC Link and LA Link. MC Link's mind was occupied only by his impending grief for his lost friend. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked up at anyone who glared at him angrily.

LA Link looked around at everyone with fear, not anger. What were the thoughts going through everyone's heads? Why does it make us all hate one another? The entire time, he had been successfully able to control the dark matter plaguing his brain, but as he looked around at everyone who had allowed it to seduce them, he knew it was no use. He continued to fight, however, with every last ounce of energy he had left in his brain...

The tension was ever-growing. Everyone's eyes became more bloodshot with rage every look they took at one another. You could almost feel it - a cushion of anger and hatred that flooded the room. Teeth clenched, mouths drooled, fists tightened... but eyes never closed and mouths never opened. It was clear what the message was, though - if these chains were to come undone, things would get bloody...

LA Link then looked up and saw something blue descending upon them. It was the monster that had captured them! No one else seemed to notice, for they were all still entranced within each other's hateful glares. Afraid to say anything, LA Link watched it descend, hold up its arms... and wave them. He heard a click. His heart skipped. What was that?

_Click!_ He heard it again. C_lick!_ What was happening? C_lickclickclick!_ It almost sounded like... the opening of locks...

He looked around in fear as he saw the limbs of his fellow Links wriggling free one by one. Like animals, they growled and clawed at the remaining chains, while never taking their eyes off each other. Oh no... the monster had let the tension build up so much... and now he was setting them all free! Soon, it reached a point where they were all connected by only one chain around the left arm, all of them snarling and yanking to be free...

The figure made one more swift arm movement.

_CLINK!_

All the chains went loose at once, and howls escaped the throats of everyone as they began to charge like the bloodthirsty savages they had become. LA Link was frightened - should he back himself into a dark corner? Should he fight? Should he try and reason? Blood had begun to splatter already... He had to decide fast!

The demon in blue laughed delightfully at the sight below him, and vanished. LA Link stared with horror at the sight. Swords clashed and jets of blood shot from the angry crowd. Lightning flashed and thunder roared precisely on cue through the single window. He couldn't just stand back and watch, yet he couldn't fight either. His only option was to try and reason with them. Deep down, they were all friends. He needed to dig that logic out of their twisted heads...

"Guys!!"

They didn't acknowledge him, and continued to slaughter one another.

"GUYS!!"

Still no reply.

"GUUUYYYS!!"

Everyone stopped and stared. They stared with a look of anger and annoyance, as though he had just interrupted the second coming of Christ. They remained still, staring, but they looked as though they would jump him any second. The rain poured heavily outside, capturing the suspenseful, quiet mood. LA Link, sensing the apparent danger, cleared his throat and began...

"Look at you! All of you! Just a few hours ago, you were never happier than when you saw your kin from the same video game series as you! And now look. All killing each other just because you feel they've disappointed all that you've worked for!? Bull!! Complete and utter bull!! C'mon, take a look at the Link closest to you! Look him in the eyes..."

With depressing looks on their faces, they obeyed. They looked at one another.

"What do you think of when you look at them? Huh?! That this dick deserves to die because he's not as good as you? What, are you the godly standard of whether people have a right to exist or not?"

Everyone seemed to be taking in LA Link's words, and his confidence began to grow. The rain outside had begun to die down...

"If anything, the person you're looking at right now has only served to improve your image. Who knows, you might not even be a part of this series had it not been for them! Who knows whether OoT would have been made had it not been for LttP? Maybe FS is in debt to MM? It's impossible to tell, and the one you're looking at may be the one you should be thanking for the rest of your life... Just ask yourself, 'how much of my influence on this guy, is a result of this guy's influence on me?'"

Nobody spoke, but the mood seemed to become apologetic.

"And another thing - we don't work to be the best for ourselves. We don't do it to be the best. We do it for one thing - our fans... The Legend of Zelda has so many fans, and it's our job to make them happy. If WW Link died, YOU may feel better, but thousands of people loved the game, and they would sulk knowing it would the cease to exist. So what do you want more? To kill all those who you think block your already apparent popularity? Or to allow everyone here to do their job and make the fans happy? Because remember, we all have the same job..."

OoT Link dropped his sword. "You're right LA Link. By god, you're right. If any of us died, our fans would abandon us..."

The Oracles Links dropped their swords, too. "It's our duty. If one of us falls, we all fall..."

"Purpose... It's why we're here. And our purpose is to make up a damn good series! That's something we cannot fail at!!"

The rain had stopped and the mellow sun had begin to seep through. A wave of forgiveness and friendship swept among the crowd.

"Let's put an end to all this crap." said WW Link happily.

"For each other..."

"For our fans..."

"For purpose..."

They all crowded around and did a big group hug.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck. The blue clad figure descended, and he seemed quite upset. It spoke in a coarse voice."Wha- What is happening? Why are you not killing one another?"

None of the Links said a word, but drew their swords.

"Well fine, maybe you're managed to diminish the power of my spell over your brains, but I can still finish you all off!" He opened the ceiling and in flew a gigantic red bird.

"Oh god, it's back!!" LttP Link cried.

"Good luck! the figure said. It flew off. The red bird screeched. All Links prepared for battle...

* * *

_"Let's put an end to all this crap..."_

_"For each other..."_

_"For our fans..."_

_"For purpose..."_

AoL Link watched the scene through the window of the cell. He sat with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. Ezlo almost made like he would cry. "Oh, I understand it now... MC Link never meant to throw me into the ocean. It was a spell of some sort! Oh, I hope he misses me as much as I miss him!" They looked down at MC Link, who still had a sorrowful look on his face despite the happy moment.

"Sorry Ezlo," AoL Link said, "But we can't show ourselves just yet..."

"I understand. When will the time come?"

"I'm not sure. I think we oughtta find out where LoZ Link is first, and then go forth and tell them."

"OK..."

The two were startled by a flash of lightning. As they saw the blue figure descending into the cell, they took their faces away from the window to avoid being seen. They looked back in...

_"...So maybe you were able to diminish the curse I placed upon you, but that doesn mean I can't still finish you off!"_

They saw it vanish, and a massive red bird monster began to lower itself among the Links. AoL Link recognized it immediately. The Thunderbird!

Ezlo then caught sight of the blue figure dashing down a nearby hallway. "Look, there he goes! If we follow him, we'll find LoZ Link! And then I can meet up with MC Link again! Yay!" He hopped out of AoL Link's sack and began to bound after the blue clad man.

However, AoL Link knew he was the only one who could permanently kill the Thunderbird. "No, Ezlo!"

But Ezlo was already off and bounding down the hall.

"Dammit!" AoL Link told himself. Could he help defeat The Thunderbird, even if it meant revealing himself and letting Ezlo run into certain danger...?

* * *

"Dude, we already killed this thing!!" OoT Link screamed.

"Well, it's back, so what are we gonna do?" LttP Link said.

"I'll distract it!" said MM Link, donning his Bunny Hood. "I'll leave the rest to you guys!" He began to run in rapid circles around the cell. The red bird seemed to be taking the bait. He made several attempts to fireball him, but MM Link was able to remain one step ahead.

LttP Link ran over to LA Link. "Got your Hookshot handy?"

LA Link smiled. "You bet!"

"Want the right wing or left...?"

The red bird was just about ready to let loose another fire ball when he felt something tug at his right wing. He saw LttP Link retracting his Hookshot with all his strength. He then felt a similar tug on his left wing. Over there was LA Link, pulling on that wing with his Hookshot. The pressure of the chains yanking at both wings caused the red bird to yowl and fall to the ground in pain. As he fell to the ground, he saw OoT Link ready with an armada of archers behind him, all aimed and drawn.

"FIRE!!"

All the remaining Links fired their projectiles at once, all pelting the red bird square in the face. It growled and groaned... and fell motionless. Everyone sighed. "Let's hope he stays down this time..." LttP Link sighed.

However, their dreams were short-lived. They saw the red bird beginning to regain its former strength. It began to fly as though nothing had happened.

The Oracles Links said in unison, "Oh sh-!".

* * *

AoL Link was in a dilemma. He began to sweat. He looked back and forth between the worried group of Links and the slowly disappearing shadow of Ezlo. What should he do??

AoL Link could feel the sweat pouring down his face. He looked at the hallway, in which Ezlo, nor his shadow, were no longer visible. He looked into the cell, and saw the Thunderbird rising, with all the Links below with worried expressions. AoL Link knew that by choosing one, he was risking the life of the other...

But he was soon able to reassure himself that the Links could handle themselves a little longer. Taking one last look down into the cell, he dashed for the hallway which Ezlo had disappeared down. "Ezlo!" he cried. He got no reply. "Ezlo!!" Still, nothing. He came to a corner and peeked around. He saw Ezlo chasing the cloaked figure down.

Ezlo had caught up and tugged at the cloak with his beak. "Hey, you!" he said threateningly.

The figure turned around and looked down. Despite his hood, AoL Link could tell he was unafraid and annoyed. "What the hell do you want, Ezlo?!"

Ezlo was taken aback. "How did you know my name...? Whatever, that's not important now! What have you done with LoZ Link! I need to know where he is or else I won't be able to apologize to MC Link!"

"YOU apologize?! Why? He's the one that tried to kill YOU!"

"It wasn't his fault! It was that poison that you released into the air that made him do it! And plus... I was a lousy friend..."

"Heh, maybe so. But since you must know where LoZ Link is, I may as well tell you... he is..." He motioned for Ezlo to come closer. "...up your ass and around the corner!" The figure then scoffed and began to walk away.

Ezlo stood there, angry. "I'm going to apologize to MC Link, no matter how much you try to prevent it, you bastard!!" He screeched and jumped up onto the figure's back. He began to peck the back of it's hooded head with all his strength.

"AGH!! What the hell are you doing!! GET OFF!! OWW!!"

"Tell me where he is!! I need to see MC Link!!"

The figure flew down the hall at full speed trying to throw Ezlo off. He didn't succeed, however, and AoL Link could no longer see them.

Damn, he thought, Ezlo really does care about MC Link. He just hoped MC Link accepted the apology, since Ezlo had done so much just to get and opportunity to apologize. The thought of such strong friendship warmed AoL Link's heart. After having seen what he just saw, he figured Ezlo would be all right. But what about the Links...?

He ran back to the cell window and looked in. The Links were getting clobbered. Fireballs rained from the Thunderbirds mouth and pelted all the heroes to the point where they couldn't even move. AoL Link immediately equipped the Thunder Spell and used it.

A brilliant flash of blue filled the cell. All the Links looked up to see the monster was now a deep shade of blue. They then saw a 2D fellow jump down atop the bird's head and shove his sword deep into its skull. It screeched and moaned... and fell down dead. The 2D dude stared at it. "Damn Thunderbird... it was bad enough when it was only half as big..."

"Uh... hi. I'm OoT Link. I'm from Ocarina of T-"

"I know... I know all about you guys. I know all your problems and what's happened to you since you got here..."

"What are you saying...?"

"I've... been following you guys. I wanted to gather as much information before I revealed myself. I ended up doing so a bit prematurely, though..."

WW Link stood. "WHAT?! We went through hell looking for you! And now you just come out of nowhere saying you've been spying on us the whole time we've been here?? Hell, we wouldn't even be in this goddamn castle if we knew where you had been!"

"Look, that's not important. The cloaked guy... he's behind all this. Who he is and why he's doing this, I don't know. I wanted to find out where he was keeping LoZ Link before showing myself, but I couldn't. I needed to help you..."

No one answered.

"Anyway, I found these by the shore..." He handed everyone back their equipment they had thrown out.

AoL Link got to MC Link last. With a sad face, he held out MC Link's sword.

"Ezlo said he found it beside him when he woke up. He said he understood..."

MC Link slowly took the sword. "Ezlo... you found him?"

"Yeah. He's alive. He traveled with me here, but... he chased the cloaked monster so he could... apologize to you."

MC Link looked down in shame.

"Look, he knows how much you hate him, and he understands why you would want to kill him, but-"

"What?" MC Link asked, bewildered. "I would never kill Ezlo. Never... he's the best friend I've ever had..." His eyes became teary.

"I... I'm sorry. I told him what I heard you say... you said you were glad he was gone."

"I didn't mean it. I'd never meant it... Is he still alive?"

"I... don't know..."

MC Link took the sword and held it up. "I won't let you die without my apologies, Ezlo..."

"Yeah!" MM Link exclaimed. "LoZ Link and Ezlo. Another reason for us to kick some cloaked-dude ass!"

Everyone cheered.

"Alright guys, let's strategize..." AoL Link said.

"I dunno," MC Link said, "I feel like doin' some arse-kickin' right now!!"

WW Link rolled his eyes. "Guys, seriously. When have any of us just rushed into a boss room with no strategy or plan? Besides, we haven't even reached the heights of the building yet. I bet LoZ Link and Ezlo are up there, and there's a lot more monsters on the way waiting for us."

MC Link sheathed his sword. "Yeah, you got a point. Anyhoo, eleven of us are here! Let's see what we can do together."

FS Link held out his sword. It was glowing. "Yo, guys! I think the split ability has been recovered in my sword! I remember learning somewhere that only the mind of one who wishes to help the world can make full use of this sword. I guess by overcoming the cloaked dude's magic, I can become four again!!" He held the sword up, and in a flash of light, the one Link had become four. "Yeah!! Look out, evil-doers! Four Sword Link is BAAACK!!"

FSA Link studied his own sword. "Hey, you can split into four again! That must mean..." He held up his sword, and the same fate befell him.

There were now 8 Links in place of 2, all standing face to face. "Kick ass!"

MC Link looked down. "My sword is also the Four Sword, but I need special tiles to make clones appear. It's the crappy 'old' version... But hey, I still an idea! All eight of you join hands..."

They all complied.

"Charge up for a spin attack..."

They all charged.

"Release!"

They did so. And they all screamed as a spinning whir of colors spun wildly around the cell. The Four Sword Links all stopped spinning eventually, dizzy, but awe-struck. "Dude, that's like, the ultimate weapon!!"

"Yeah!" MC Link said. "And if I can find some tiles, we could try a twelve-Link circle..."

"We'll keep an eye out."

"Oh snap!" OoT Link said. "Before now, we've been only one-man armies, and look how much we've done! Now look... we've got all twelve of us! Just imagine the possibilities! Just think what we can do now that all of our strengths are gathered here!"

"Yeah! Let's experiment!" MM Link exclaimed.

For the next hour, the Links had a blast combining their skills, weapons and tools. WW Link flew on his Deku Leaf while LttP Link hung on dropping bombs. OoT Link and LA Link wondered what the effect might be if they fired a Light Arrow and a Bomb Arrow from the same bow. MM Link rolled as a Goron with The Oracles Links hanging on both sides and holding their swords out. They soon reached a point of enlightenment, and they all looked at one another. They believed it was time.

They were ready...

The Links grouped up and began to scale a swirling staircase. OoT Link recognized it - it was the very staircase he scaled before fighting Ganondorf. At the very top, they reached a large square door. AoL Link carefully stepped forward and creaked it open...

He stared into a large room with water on the floor. WW Link peeked in as well, and he immediately knew this was where he had fought Puppet Ganon. However, the room was now filled with enemies familiar to each Link. Absolutely filled. They closed the door and looked at each other.

"OK," AoL Link said. "If we all try and fight, we'll fail, but if we all try and sneak by, we'll fail. What do you suggest?"

MM Link knew what was coming. "Split up."

"Afraid so. Some of us have to fight and create a diversion, and some of us have to be as stealthy as possible to reach the top..."

No one said a word.

"If anyone wants to back out, say so now."

"I want out."

"Shut up LttP Link."

"Alright, but who's gonna do what...?"

LttP Link stepped forward. "Well, I think I should sneak, cuz I have a Magic Cape that makes me invisible."

MM Link stepped up too. "Yeah, and I got the Stone Mask, which makes me invisible withOUT the burden of Magic Power."

LttP Link looked at him, annoyed.

"Well," said FSA Link, "FS Link and I should definitely be on the assault team."

"Yeah, we really gotta use this 8 Link Twister move in action!" FS Link exclaimed.

LA Link jumped up and down. "Guys! you wouldn't believe what happens when you fire a Light Arrow and a Bomb Arrow at the same time! It's incredible! I haveta be on the assault squad! I just gotta!"

"OK," said WW Link, "My Light Arrows are probably the most finessed out of anyone's, so I'll work with you on that."

AoL Link turned to the Oracles Links. "So, what about you two?"

OoA Link thought a bit. "Err... I dunno. We do have lotsa magical seeds we could use..."

OoS Link jumped. "Yeah, dude! Just think what might happen if we like, combined seeds!"

In unison, they said "Sweeeeet..."

"Well, that's settled," said AoL Link. "Since I know this spell that can turn me into an inconspicuous fairy, I'll use that and join the stealth team. Now, stealth team over here. Assault squad over there. Anyone not in a group yet, stay in the middle."

The teams separated. On the assault side were FS, FSA, WW, LA, OoS and OoA Link. On the stealth side were LttP, MM and AoL Link. Only OoT and MC Link remained in the middle.

"Well, what side you think you two will fit in?" AoL Link asked.

"Well," said OoT Link, "it seems like the sneaky team is a bit short-handed, and all spies need defense. I'll be your guys' body guard. If anyone sees us, it'll be my job to be the decoy and allow you guys to go ahead."

"All righty, very good thinking. And how about you MC Link?"

MC Link looked up. "I have Mole Mitts..." he said quietly. "I can dig tunnels underneath rooms..."

"Well, that's a valuable skill."

"And also... the stealth team will be doing the rescuing, right?"

"Chances are, yes."

"...Then I'll be stealth. I need to find Ezlo and let him know the truth..."

"OK," said AoL Link quietly, as MC Link walked into their group. "Now, are we all ready...?"

No one said anything for a long time. Until LA Link stepped forward. "I was born ready."

One by one, they all raised their hands, signifying they were ready to go into the face of death in order to save their friends... and continue doing what they were born to do.

"All righty, now let's strategize," said OoT Link. "I think the stealth team should go ahead and sneak by the enemies. That way, the assault team won't have to hold out battling quite as long."

"Naw," said WW Link, "we should go first. The bigger diversion we create, the better chance you have of sneaking by."

"C'mon guys," said FS Link, "both teams are eventually gonna go out there anyway. Why not go at the same time?"

"We should go first," said OoA Link.

"Yeah," said OoS Link, "we'll give you sneakers a chance to get by unseen."

"OK, it's settled then," said AoL Link. "Assault squad goes first. Stealth team, go on exactly 30 seconds after. You ready...?"

Everyone said in unison, "Yeah!"

"Alright guys, let's move out!"

The assault squad gently opened the door. They peaked inside. Enemies were everywhere - Octoroks in the water, Spear Moblins on the rafters, Keese hanging everywhere... it was gonna be a hell of a fight. But they were ready.

"OK," said MM Link, "On the count of 3..."

The FS Link's drew their swords.

"1..."

The Oracles Links nodded at one another.

"2..."

WW Link and LA Link got their bows ready...

"3!!"

With that, they burst through the door and prepared for the fight of their lives.

The frenzy began immediately. Octorok rocks flew in all directions. Spears practically rained from the rafters. Keese flew down in organized swarms and lashed with their tiny talons, which in such great numbers, were quite painful. The battle for the future of Zelda had begun.

OoA Link took out his Pegasus Seeds. OoS Link took out his Ember Seeds. They looked at each other and smiled.

Octoroks were surprised by a small green blur that shoot fireballs as it passed. Despite their efforts to shoot it down, they would be fried before they even saw what was coming!

"Guys," said MM Link. "30 seconds! Let's move!" He donned his Stone Mask and began to sneak around the edges of the room towards some ropes that led to the top. LttP Link followed wearing his magic cape. AoL Link had no trouble flying to the top as a fairy. OoT Link hung onto MC Link, who could only climb the wall with his Mole Mitts and try to remain undetected. They could only hope the attackers held the enemies' attention just long enough to get by...

WW Link and LA Link had separated and had been shooting down clouds of Keese with their individual arrows when they noticed a massive accumulation of Spear Moblins on a single rafter, hurling their weapons down. They finally met up and were ready to unleash their secret weapon...

One Moblin looked down looking for a target to spear, but he instead saw LA Link waving to him. Waving goodbye? Yup. Next thing he saw rushing at him was a ball of light with a fuse on it. "BWEEE!!" he screamed. He had given his warning too late - the entire rafter blw apart in a massive explosion of light, sending Moblins flying in all directions around the room. Not one of them survived.

Soon, a single Darknut entered the room. "We're bein' clobbered! Darknuuuuuttttts! Commence!"

A large line of 20 Darknuts entered the room, ready to slaughter. "ATTTAAAAACCKKK!!"

The Darknuts had begun to charge, but they were in for a surprise. FS and FSA Link had joined hands, each split into four, charged their swords, and were ready for some ass-whoopin'! They released their energy, and a rainbow tornado swept around the room, slashing straight through the crowd. The mayhem lasted for no longer than a few seconds until there was only the single Darknut left, standing in the middle of the field of bodies. Without another word, he ran his ass outta there. "Yeah!" said FS Link, high-fiving FSA Link. "We sure kicked their dark-nuts!"

WW Link called up. "Stealth team, you alright up there?!"

"Yeah, we made it guys! C'mon up!"

The attack squad made their way to the top, where the stealth team stood in front of a blue doorway. "Yup, this should take us to the top of Ganon's Tower." said WW Link.

However, they walked out and saw the entrance to a white building stacked on top of Ganon's Tower. "Ugh... Great Palace," said AoL Link disgustingly.

More enemies awaited them in here. They followed the same strategy - attack squad distracted, stealth team snuck by, and they met up with each other at the end. However, none of the Links weren't too accustomed to the whole 2D stuff. MM Link was quite frustrated. "D00d, lyke, wy da hek cant i go fowerd o bakwrd?! i kan only muve, lyke, left n rite!! omgwtfbbq! da gamez gliched!11!"

For a long time, the battle went on, and with each final level they finished, they would only climb higher, for they were all stacked upon one another. They blasted their way through LttP's Ganon's Castle, got lost in the Windfish's Egg, played hide-and-seek with the Moon kids, worked their way past the Eyes of Deceit, Went through the Palace of Winds _twice_, and pulled through Dark Hyrule Castle until finally, upon the massive stack of final levels, only one remained. And it appeared to be only two 2D rocks. At this point, the Links were now frustrated.

What was this? Was this a joke? A trap? Had the cloaked figure simply wanted them to waste their energy just to end up here? Was he hiding on the bottom floor still, in OoT Ganon's Castle? It was a possibility. But perhaps these rocks did have some significance... Well, what should they do?

LttP Link was thinking hard. "Grrn... I know I've seen something like this before..."

"Really?" asked FSA Link. "Where? What?"

"Err... it was called Spectacle Rock. A rock formation that looked like eyeglasses. Maybe there was one in LoZ, too?"

"Well, let's think," said OoT Link. "We've all seen our final levels, haven't we?"

Everyone nodded.

"We haven't been anywhere in this tower that one of us hasn't recognized, right?"

Everyone shook their heads.

WW Link bud in. "And this rock... it looks 8-bit. Does this look familiar to you, AoL Link?"

"Something like it, but it wasn't nearly as big. Plus, we've already been through the Great Palace, which was the final level in my game..."

"So, the only final level we clearly haven't been to is LoZ Link's..." said OoA Link.

"Could this rock be related to LoZ's final dungeon?" asked OoS Link.

"Makes sense," thought FS Link.

"Well, I say we investigate this rock." said MM Link.

"OK, let's think," LA said. "What did all of us do when there was a rock in our path...?"

Everyone smiled. "BOMBS!"

All the Links drew a bomb and lit the fuse. They placed them all around both rocks...

_BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!!_

A chain reaction of explosions surrounded the two boulders. At last, they all heard the sound of a wall blowing in. They all gathered around and saw, on the right "eye", a square hole that led inside.

"This is it, guys," said WW Link. "This is the final stage..."

"Ya'll ready?"

Everyone looked at one another, and smiled. Hell yeah, they were ready.

MC Link seemed to be the most determined of all. "Yeah... let's kick some cloaked dude ass!!"

They all cheered and high-fived, knowing this was the final assault. Everyone seemed reluctant to continue, however, but not because of fear...

"Guys..." said LttP Link sadly. "We could die in there... or we may succeed..."

"So, what's your point?" asked OoT Link.

"Well, what'll happen if we win the battle? If we do manage to thwart this evil dude's plan and save LOZ Link and the Zelda series? What will happen? Our universes will separate again, as they should be..." He looked down sadly. "We'll never see each other again..."

Everyone realized that what he was saying was true, and looked around sadly.

LA Link then stepped forward. "...As they should be..."

Everyone listened intently.

"Yes... it will be a sad moment, but at least everything will be as they should be. We were never meant to meet, and this union, while one of the happiest to all of us, is against our destiny. It's against our duty. It's against what we were created to do..."

Everyone seemed to understand.

"We have to continue what we were meant to do. To make a series like none other. To work together... without actually working together. We work to make The Legend of Zelda."

A wave of understanding went over everyone. It was true - While the Links were never meant to meet one another, they still... somehow... worked as one. Fans might like to play OoT one day, then feel the desire to pop in MC. A prime example of the Links' unique partnership. Everyone soon found the courage to carry on.

MM Link walked up to LA Link. "Dude, you've done so much for us..."

LA Link smiled. "Yeah, but you all have helped me in ways you couldn't imagine."

"Well," said MC Link, "just in case we die in there... I just wanna say that... I'm happier now that I've known you guys for only a day than I ever would've been not having met any of you..."

He smiled. Everyone did.

"C'mon guys," said OoT Link. "Let's save the series we were destined to make great!!"

Everyone hooted and hollered, and without a second thought, ran into the opening that led to their destiny, or their impending doom...

* * *

The Links found themselves in a room with white tiles on the ground. It seemed to resemble a skull... and there was a torch in each of the four corners... what was this place? In the back of the room, the cloaked being stood with his back to the crowd. The Links huddled in order to decide what to do...

"Guys," said Link, "do we really want to condone with this guy?"

"Err... not really," said LttP Link, "let's do the original 'attack-and-sneak strategy'. Hasn't failed us yet."

"OK, let's do it."

The assault squadron and the stealth team both prepared. On the signal, the attackers charged.

They rushed in, swords drawn, and charged at the blue cloaked man. However, it wasn't much of an attack - the figure simply raised his arm, and the Links stopped moving. "You idiots," said the figure in a raspy voice. "Think you can sneak up on me? I see everything that happens here..."

The stealth team had begun to sneak by, but the figure raised his other hand, and they found themselves unable to move also. "That goes for you guys, too."

The figure then wiggled his fingers, and the Links began to levitate. They struggled and shook to break free, but they remained afloat, and the Links began to come move closer to each other until they were floating around in one big sphere. The creature then turned around to face them.

"Hello, my stubborn rivals," it said. "How nice of you to pay a visit to my dark universe."

"Oh, for god's sake, can you please skip all the stupid talk and get to your plan, please??" asked OoT Link.

"Oh, well I believe you already know my plan, don't you?"

"Umm... kinda. We know you made all the Zelda universes become one, and the finished product is in a 'dark place'. You only allowed us and a few super-powered bosses here, plus that evil mind-altering spell of yours in order to have us killed, whether it be by the monsters, or each other..." explained WW Link.

"Very good so far..."

"Right, and you kidnapped LoZ Link so that you could kill him, thus preventing the existence of the rest of us Links in the future..." reasoned LA Link.

The cloaked figure clapped his hands. "Well done. Well done. I should've known you boys would be able to figure it out on your own. Though, you are missing a few very important details..."

"Like... what your motives are, how you made this happen, and who you are??" pointed out FS Link.

"Correct. Well, let's get to those points, shall we? Let us first start with who I am..."

The Links watched as the figure threw off its cloak. What it revealed shocked them all. The legs were 3D and had black hooves. The torso - pitch black with a single eye in the center. The arms, red and muscular, both of which now held red whips. And the head... the head of a 2D blue pig. It was the most bizarre looking and frightening beast any of them had ever laid eyes upon.

"Yes... I am all your worst nightmares, combined into the ultimate body of evil. I... haven't really come up with a name for this embodiment yet, but you may call me... Lord..." the blue pig face smiled wickedly.

"How about 'Gamava?' You know, it's got a little Ganon, little Majora, little Vaati..." MM Link cracked.

"SHUT UP!!" it yelled.

"Sorry bud, but you're gonna be called Gamava the rest of the story!"

"S_igh_ OK, fine. That's not important now anyways. You wonder how I did this? Well, let's just say I had a little help..."

Gamava snapped his fingers. A brilliant golden light filled the room... and a humungous golden triangle appeared at the rear of the room.

"OH GOD! That's the biggest Triforce I've ever seen!" cried AoL Link.

"Yes," said Gamava, "The Triforce of Power, from each Ganon. You see, I, LoZ Ganon, once got the brilliant idea of using the Triforce of Power to actually escape the LoZ universe and contact my good friend, AoL Ganon. We combined our Triforce of Powers and made it - you guessed it - bigger and more powerful. We also contacted OoT, OoA, OoS, LttP, and WW Ganon to combine their Triforce parts. We then brought Majora's Mask, as well as FS and MC Vaati, and FSA Ganon to join the party. Using the magnificent Triforce of Power, we made this form... and stretched the limits of the Triforce's Power, creating this universe to pull you in... and now here you are..."

"But dude," said MM Link, "you realize that by killing us, it would cause you guys to disappear too. You're part of the Zelda series!"

"Oh, but I believe that once we kill you, we can survive. And, we'll take over the series. Players will be able to play as us, the Zelda villains! MWAHAHAHA!! If we can alter the currents of time, people will never even know you existed!!"

The Links looked at each other, worried.

"What are you going to do with Ezlo...?" asked MC Link, angrily.

"Oh, the annoying talking cap? Ho, I thought you wanted him dead!"

"I said, what are you going to do to him?!"

"Hmph, he got in my way, so I'll rip his fibers apart before I kill LoZ Link. That way, you'll die nice and regretful!"

MC Link's hands clenched. He breathed heavily.

"Oh, are you angry about that? Don't worry, his death will be slow and painful. Hehehe..."

MC Link began to growl. He let out an animal roar and put his chest out. Within seconds, he fell to the earth with a thud. He then looked up at Gamava, who had stopped laughing and looked quite surprised. "Wha- but how did yo-??"

MC Link then charged and slashed with all his might. The distraction caused the spell to break and all the Links to fall. They now had to devise the ultimate plan, to win the ultimate showdown between good an evil. While MC Link went loco on Gamava, the rest of the Links huddled. "OK fellas, whaddya say we have the assault squadron attack Gamava?" asked OoT Link.

"Yeah, but what about the stealth team?" asked LttP Link.

"Don't forget, we also gotta worry about the Triforce of Power," pointed out OoA Link.

"Yeah, and Link and Ezlo," finished OoS Link.

MM Link bud in. "We got three things to worry about, but two teams. I say we send one Link to go after the prisoners.

"Who would be the most determined?" asked LA Link.

"Well," said WW Link, "we're all concerned about LoZ Link, but there's only one with a close enough relationship with Ezlo..."

Everyone looked up at MC Link, who was still hacking at Gamava.

"OK, so attack squadron attacks, stealth team deals with the Triforce of Power, and MC Link goes after the prisoners." said AoL Link. "Let's do it!!"

The huddle broke apart and every split up. WW Link and LA Link fired a Light Bomb at Gamava, which blew him backwards, but seemed to do little damage. Gamava yanked out his whips and lashed at them both, wrapping them up, and throwing them across the room. The Oracles Links tried their "Running Fireball" technique, but Gamava seemed to be able to see their every move, and blasted a lightning ball out of his eyeball torso at the duo. FS and FSA Link got their Link Tornado move ready, but Gamava spit many 2D fire bats in their direction and promptly broke up the circle. The assault squadron wasn't sure how long they could last.

The stealth team approached the Triforce of Power and did threw every attack they could, but the strength of all the Triforces of Power was beyond theirs. They were failing their mission as well.

MC Link, however, had been able to sneak by and entered the room beyond. In here, he found four flames. "WTH?" he thought. He hacked with his sword, and the fires disappeared. He then ran in and saw LoZ Link, staring up at the ceiling. "LoZ Link!! Thank the gods you're OK!!"

"MC Link?? What's happening?"

"We all came to save you! Everyone's fighting Gamava and trying to dismantle the ultimate Triforce of Power!"

"Oh, damn! I'd better get my ass out there and help!"

"But where's Ezlo?? He got captured too, right?"

"Yeah, but he found out about the ultimate Triforce of Power, and then, since I had both the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage in my game, he told me to give him my Triforce of Wisdom. I did, and then he used it to make a hole in the ceiling, which he jumped up through. I don't know where he is now..."

"What!? EZLO!!"

MC Link used Roc's Cape to jump up through the hole and onto the roof of the rock dungeon - the very top of the tower. Rain poured, lightning flashed, wind howled all around. MC Link looked and looked, but saw Ezlo nowhere. "Ezlo?!"

He then looked off the edge of the tower, and looked down... "EZLOOOOOOO!!"

He then had a thought - an idea just why Ezlo might've asked to take the Triforce of Wisdom because he saw the ultimate Triforce of Power. He looked up into the dark sky and smiled. He knew where Ezlo had gone...

LoZ Link waited, and he soon saw MC Link fall back through the hole. "Well, where is he?"

"I don't know exactly, but I have an idea..."

"What? Where do you think he is...?"

MC Link smirked. "Just follow me!"

* * *

The assault squadron was getting massacred, and the stealth team had worn themselves out trying to break the Triforce of Power apart. They waited desperately for a sign of hope that they might win this battle...

At last MC Link and LoZ Link burst through the door. "Guys!! Come here! We have an idea!!"

Everyone immediately complied and began to run into the next room. Gamava looked around, confused. "What on earth are you dumbasses doing?? Get back here and let me finish killing you!!"

All the Links met in the captivity room. "LoZ Link, you're alive!" exclaimed AoL Link.

"AoL Link, great to see you too, but we have business at hand..."

MC Link cleared his throat. "Guys, if all the Ganons can combine their Triforces of Power, why can't we?"

Everyone looked around with smiles. "Yeah... I see what you're coming to..."

MC Link then backed up. "Since I don't have a Triforce of Courage of my own, I'm going on the roof to wait for Ezlo. He's doing some business of his own..."

"OK," they all said.

MC Link jumped up onto the roof while the rest of the Links prepared for the fusing of their Triforces...

* * *

MC Link stood on the roof and stared into the black, stormy sky. Rain pelted his face, but he didn't care. He could only wait and wait. He hoped Ezlo would return OK...

His thoughts were interrupted by a massive jolt that shook the tower. A massive golden light burst through the hole in the roof. The hoots and hollers of his fellow Links escaped from the hole. They had done it. They had formed the ultimate Triforce of Courage.

Gamava's voice soon boomed from below. "What?? NO!! I shouldn't have let you do that!!"

"Well, we just, you know, thought we should kick your ass at your own game!"

Gamava laughed. "Even so, my Triforce of Power is still much stronger..."

"Oh, YEAH!"

"Of course!"

"Well, let's just see about that!"

"Fine then!"

MC Link then heard a roar from Gamava, and the entire tower began to rumble and shake. Rays of light shot out through the cracks in the rock that were slowly growing bigger and bigger...

_FFFFWWWAAAAAASSSSHHHHHHHH!!_

The entire boulder dungeon exploded from within and sent bursts of light and rock everywhere. MC Link felt himself fall as the roof blew out from under his feet.

When the dust finally cleared, Link found himself standing between the two armies. Gamava on one end with the Triforce of Power, and the Links on the other with the Triforce of Courage. The two sides stared each other down menacingly, with MC Link in the middle, wondering what was about to happen...

"Let's finish this..." said Gamava.

"Our pleasure..." said the Links.

Gamava closed his eyes and began to wish. The Triforce of Power steadily became a deep shade of blackish-purple. The Links did the same, and the Triforce of Courage began to glow gold...

Until suddenly...

_ZZAAAAAAMMMMMM!!_

Both Triforces shot a humungous beam of energy of their respective color at the other. MC Link, caught right in the crossfire, leapt out of the way. As the beams hit, a shockwave blasted across the earth and the tower began to vibrate like mad. Both Gamava and the Links had their eyes closed tightly and were wishing as hard as they could. However, Gamava seemed to be prevailing, for the beam of darkness was slowly overtaking the beam of light and was slowly closing in on the Triforce of Courage...

"NOOO!!" screamed MC Link. It was only a matter of time before Gamava would achieve victory. MC Link looked up into the sky, so worried he felt tears well up in his eyes. "Ezlo..." he whispered... "Please... we need you..."

MC Link turned around and viewed the confrontation. The dark beam was only inches from touching the Triforce of Courage. The Links seemed to be wishing so hard that it hurt their heads to think anymore. MC Link knew it. It was inevitable. He closed his eyes and waited for the end...

_"Yo Freakshow!! I'm BAAACCCCKKKKK!!"_

MC Link looked up into the sky. A huge smile crossed his face. A yellow light parted the storm clouds and lit up the roof of the tower. Down came a huge golden triangle... and onboard was a familiar friend...

All action atop the tower had stopped. The Links looked confused. Gamava looked stupefied. MC Link looked as happy as can be. The golden triangle slowly descended right next to the Triforce of Courage.

Ezlo then hopped up, looked at Gamava, and screamed, "Heh, got the power of Wisdom on our side now, asswipe! I had wish for all the incarnations of the Triforce of Wisdom to all come together, and it sure as hell wasn't easy!" He then looked at the group of Links, "C'mon, let's take this bastard down!"

The Links all looked at each other, then at Gamava. They smirked. MC Link joined the crowd, and everyone began to wish...

A blinding light shown from the two Triforces...

Gamava stared in fright...

And as the gigantic beam fired, all he could say was... "Oh sh-"

_KKKKKKKAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!!_

The Triforce of Power burst into several pieces, and Gamava himself had burst respectively. The Links found themselves staring at several Triforces of Power, along with the separate villains from each Zelda game. Without any hesitation, the Links took each villain down one at a time, with no trouble whatsoever.

Ezlo hopped up and down excitedly. "YES!" he cried, "We did it!!"

MC Link slowly approached him. Sorrow in his eyes. "Umm... Ezlo?"

Ezlo stared at him. He seemed happy to see him. "Oh, hi Link..."

"Ezlo, I... I just wanted to say..."

MC Link suddenly ran up, grabbed Ezlo, and squeezed him in his arms. Tears filled MC Link's eyes. "Ezlo, I'm so sorry. I was a horrible friend to you..."

Ezlo seemed shocked. "No, I'm the one who should be apologizing... you never would've thrown me into the ocean had I not been so stubborn. I treated you like a child... but you're anything but, Link. You'll always be a man to me, Link..."

MC Link embraced Ezlo in his arms once again.

Ezlo then hopped up onto MC Link's head. "Just like old times, buddy!"

"Yeah," said MC Link, "just like old times..."

Everyone watched as the Triforce pieces began to resonate. The Triforce of Power had fused into one again, and all three combined to create the largest, most stunning Triforce any of them had ever seen. They all looked at one another and knew it was time...

OoT Link walked up to the ultimate Triforce and touched it. "Well guys, I guess this is goodbye. We all gotta touch the Triforce and things will go back to normal..."

LttP Link touched it next. "Yeah, I can't believe it. This is the end..."

FS and FSA Link touched it together. "Yup, but at least we all learned something here. There is no better or worse..."

WW Link went up next. "There's only different..."

AoL Link put his hand on it. "And there's only purpose..."

LoZ Link did so as well. "And we will always be together..."

The Oracles Links touched it too. "With the memories we have..."

MM Link went up next. "And with the eternal bond we share..."

WW Link rested his hand on it. "We shall do our duty together..."

LA Link was second to last... "and make the Legend of Zelda series..."

And at last, MC Link approached, "to please our fans for many years to come."

And, as all the Links wished, with teary eyes and heavy hearts, Ezlo said the final words... "Well, we'll see you guys... on the other side..."

* * *

"Hey!" yelled Vincent, "What the hell is wrong with this thing??" He had desperately been trying to load Majora's Mask on his N64, but it didn't seem to want to work. He tried countless times, but the TV screen only showed black. He was getting frustrated.

Until finally, he pressed the power button, and he was surprised to see a bright light flash on his TV screen. It near blinded him, but he looked back and saw the game had started up normally. What was that light all about? Oh well, at least the game was working.

After about an hour of playing, Vincent decided he had enough Majora's Mask. He then wanted to play a bit of Link's Awakening. For some reason, that game hadn't seemed to want to load either, but he was surprised to see a bright light flood the screen, and the game running perfectly fine again. What the heck was going on? Meh, glitches, he thought. Still, the coincidence was intriguing.

Nevertheless, he was still overjoyed that his Zelda games were working once again. Although, he did find it rather strange that the Links in his games seemed to be smiling a lot more than usual, and the way they always seemed to look up in the sky when left standing still, as though they were looking for someone, recalling happy memories... it was odd, indeed, but Vincent thought little of it. He loved Zelda, and the way each game worked together to make one great series brought him happiness like none other. Perhaps the Links understood that as well?

Naw, impossible.

But maybe...

Just maybe...

_**/\ THE END/\**_


End file.
